Chess Rules for Beginners - The Quick Reference Card
Quick answer: Chess is won by checkmating the enemy king. White moves first, players take turns, and each piece moves in its own way. The most important rule of all is that you can never leave your own king in check. Below is every rule a beginner needs, kept short enough to check during a game.
This page is the quick-reference version of the chess rules for beginners. If you want a slower, step-by-step tutorial with examples, read our how to play chess guide. When you just need to remember how the knight moves or whether you can castle right now, this is the page to keep open.
How Each Piece Moves
King
Moves one square in any direction. The king can never move into check. If your king is attacked you must answer the threat immediately.
Queen
Moves any number of squares in a straight line: forward, backward, sideways or diagonally. The strongest piece on the board.
Rook
Moves any number of squares forward, backward or sideways. Rooks become powerful on open files and on the back rank.
Bishop
Moves any number of squares diagonally. Each bishop stays on its own colour for the whole game, which is why a pair of bishops is so strong.
Knight
Moves in an L: two squares one way, then one square to the side. The knight is the only piece that jumps over others, and its forks win countless games.
Pawn
Moves one square forward, or two squares from its starting rank. It captures one square diagonally forward. A pawn can never move backward.
Special Rules Every Beginner Should Know
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Check | Your king is attacked. You must get out of check on your very next move, by moving the king, blocking, or capturing the attacker. |
| Checkmate | The king is in check and there is no legal way out. The game ends immediately and the side giving mate wins. |
| Castling | The king moves two squares toward a rook, and the rook hops to the king's other side. Only legal if neither piece has moved, the path is clear, and the king is not in or passing through check. |
| En passant | If an enemy pawn moves two squares past your pawn, you may capture it on your very next turn as if it had moved only one square. |
| Promotion | A pawn that reaches the far rank must be swapped for a queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same colour. Most players choose a queen. |
| Stalemate | The side to move has no legal move but is not in check. The game is a draw, which saves many lost positions. |
| Fifty-move rule | If fifty moves pass with no pawn move and no capture, either player may claim a draw. |
How a Game of Chess Actually Flows
White always moves first, and players then take turns, one move at a time. You capture an enemy piece by landing on its square. The opening is about bringing your pieces out and castling early, the middlegame is where the tactics and attacks happen, and the endgame is the final stage with few pieces left, where pawns race to promote. Beginners win most games simply by keeping their pieces defended and taking whatever the opponent leaves hanging.
A draw is not a loss. Games end level by stalemate, by agreement, by threefold repetition, or when neither side has enough material to checkmate. Knowing the drawing rules matters, because a beginner who is losing can often save half a point by forcing a stalemate or a repetition.
Put the Rules into Practice
The fastest way to make these chess rules for beginners stick is to play. Open our unblocked chess board and play a few friendly games against the computer on Easy. The board highlights every legal move, so you can double-check the rules while you play. When you want a focused workout, try our chess puzzles for beginners, or share a screen in two player chess mode.
If you are still curious, our chess blog covers beginner strategy, openings and the famous four-move checkmate in plain language. The rules above are all you need to start; everything else is practice.