Use your mouse to move your Chess pieces across the board. Your objective in Chess is to get a checkmate. To land a checkmate, you’ll need to get your opponent’s King into a position where it can be captured, and cannot be freed by the opponent’s next move.

Each piece on the board moves differently. When your piece moves into a square that is currently occupied by an opponent's piece, you will capture that piece. Here is how each piece moves:

Pawns can only move forward one square at a time, except on the first turn when they can move ahead two. However, they cannot move forward into a square that is occupied by another piece. Instead, they capture by moving diagonally forward one tile. Rooks can move any amount of squares, but only forward, backwards or sideways. Bishops can also move any amount of squares, but only diagonally. Note: a Bishop will remain on squares of the same color it started on. Knights move in an “L” shape: two squares in one direction then another at a 90 degree angle. Knights are the only pieces that can move over other ones on the board. The King can move one square at a time in any direction. However, you won't be able to move your King into a position where it'll be in check. The Queen can move in any direction and move as many squares as possible - as long as it doesn’t move through any of its own pieces.

Don’t forget: Chess is a game of logical thinking and strategic planning. You’ve got to get those mental muscles moving if you want to best your opponent!

Chess Tips & Tricks

Study the board. Take a moment to consider your options before making your move. It’s ideal to move to a spot that puts any of your opponent’s pieces under attack, but be careful you don’t set yourself up for a loss!

Watch your opponent’s moves carefully. Stay focused and keep an eye on what kind of moves your opponent makes. Don't move into squares where they can capture your pieces, unless you see a potential advantage. Use their movements to come up with your own strategy for taking down each of their pieces. With enough practice, you’ll be able to predict your opponent's moves based on how the board is set up each turn.



Castle your King early. Protecting your King is your number one objective, so as soon as you see an opportunity to castle, you should. To castle, you must first clear all of the space between your King and one of your Rooks. This will open up special move options for your King. Note: Castling can only be done if neither your King and Rook have moved.

Pawns can become Queens (or most any other piece). If you can manage to get one of your pawns across the board to your opponent's back row, you can "promote" them into any other piece except a King. Simply choose the new piece you'd like them to become. You can even have "extra" Queens or other pieces!

Don’t be afraid to make sacrifices. In any game, you will lose some of your pieces to your opponent. An experienced Chess player will sometimes sacrifice lower-ranking pieces in order to save those that are more useful. When deciding which pieces to sacrifice, it can help to count the points. Watch this video to learn more about the point system.

Practice makes perfect! As with any game, the more you play, the more you’ll learn. Chess isn’t meant to be mastered after the first game. It takes years of hard work and practice. Keep on playing and maybe someday you’ll be a Chess master, too!

Go here to read more about playing Chess and learn a thing or two from one of the masters.

