The quick version
White moves first. Alternate legal moves until checkmate, resignation, or a draw. Captured pieces do not produce a score; the king's position decides the game.
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Set up and know the finish
Use an eight-by-eight board with a light square at each player's near-right corner. Each side has eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, a queen, and a king. Put pawns across your second row. Put rooks in the corners of your back row, knights beside them, then bishops. The queen occupies the remaining square of her own color; the king takes the other square.
Choose colors by chance. Play without a clock for this first game. Checkmate wins; resignation concedes. Stalemate means the player to move has no legal move but is not in check: that is a draw. Also draw if neither side could ever checkmate through any legal sequence, or both players agree after each has moved. For a rematch, restore the starting position and exchange colors.
Make legal moves
Move and capture
Move one piece per turn, except castling. A destination cannot contain your own piece. Capture an opposing piece by replacing it and removing it. Only knights jump over intervening pieces; other pieces stop before a blocker or capture an enemy blocker.
Use the six piece types
Rooks travel along a row or column; bishops diagonally; queens combine both. Each can travel any clear distance. Knights move two squares along a row or column, then one sideways. Kings move one square in any direction, onto a safe square.
Move pawns differently
Pawns advance toward the opponent: one empty square forward, or two from their starting square if both squares are empty. They capture one square diagonally forward, never straight ahead. A pawn reaching the farthest row immediately becomes your choice of queen, rook, bishop, or knight, including an extra queen.
Answer check
A king attacked by an enemy piece is in check. Your next move must remove the attack by moving the king, capturing the attacker, or blocking its line where possible. No move may expose your own king to attack. Kings cannot stand next to each other. Check with no legal escape is checkmate; do not capture the king.
Castle when eligible
From the starting arrangement, move your king two squares toward a rook, then move that rook to the square the king crossed. Neither may have moved before; every square between them must be empty. Your king cannot start in check, cross an attacked square, or finish on one.
Recognize en passant
If an enemy pawn advances two squares from its start and lands beside your pawn, you may capture it as though it advanced only one: move diagonally onto the passed-over square and remove that pawn. This is available only on your immediately following turn.
Keep a first game understandable
Before starting, let each player demonstrate a knight move and a pawn capture. During play, ask a newcomer to check whether their king would be safe after the move. For this casual format, agree to restore an illegal move and choose a legal one; that correction policy is a hosting suggestion.
Long games also have draw rules: three repetitions of the same position or 50 moves by each side without a pawn move or capture permit a claim. The same player must have the move and the same legal possibilities, including castling and en passant. Five repetitions or 75 such moves end the game automatically; checkmate on the final move takes precedence.
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Ideas & Twists
Choose a variation together before you start.
Casual chess · See main rules
Suggested house variationConsultation chess
Make two teams of two, each sharing one army. Teammates may discuss their move openly; alternate which teammate physically moves the piece each turn. The chess rules and checkmate/draw finish stay the same. Play a second game with colors reversed if both teams want another chance; a win is one match point and a draw half, with a tied total shared.
Casual chess · See main rules
Suggested house variationHand and Brain
Use two teams of two. Before each team turn, the Brain names only a piece type, such as pawn or knight; the Hand selects and plays any legal move with that type. Choose a type that has a legal move; if none does, correct the call. No square names or coaching. Checkmate, resignation, and ordinary draws end the game; exchange roles for the rematch.
About this guide
Ordinary board rules follow FIDE. Team formats and casual correction advice are suggestions. This introduction covers playing; the linked FIDE text remains the reference for tournament administration.
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