Strategy
Play Chess online
The ultimate battle of minds. Plan ahead, control the board, and checkmate your opponent.
2 players, about 30 minutes. Play Chess with friends using a room code, or solo against Nell. Free, no sign-up, works on your phone.
How to play Chess
Players
2
Time
~30 min
Goal
Checkmate your opponent's king
Overview
Take turns moving pieces to capture your opponent's pieces and threaten their king. When the king is in "check" (under attack), it must escape. If it cannot escape, that is checkmate. You win.
Pieces
Piece
Movement
King
One square in any direction
Queen
Any direction, any distance
Rook
Horizontal or vertical, any distance
Bishop
Diagonal, any distance
Knight
L-shape (2+1), can jump over pieces
Pawn
Forward 1 (or 2 from start). Captures diagonally.
Special Moves
1
Castling: King moves 2 squares toward a rook; rook jumps over. Only if neither has moved and no pieces are between them.
2
En passant: If a pawn moves 2 squares forward and lands beside your pawn, you can capture it as if it only moved 1 square.
3
Promotion: A pawn reaching the opposite end becomes a queen, rook, bishop, or knight.
Strategy Tips
💡
Control the center of the board early. Develop your knights and bishops before pushing too many pawns. Castle early to protect your king. Do not bring your queen out too early, as it can be chased around while your opponent develops.