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Chess Rules
Master the fundamentals of chess. Understanding these rules is essential for competitive play on ChessBlock.
The Basics
Objective of Chess
The goal is to checkmate your opponent's king. This means the king is in a position to be captured (in "check")
and cannot escape capture on the next move.
The Board
Chess is played on an 8x8 board with 64 squares alternating between light and dark colors.
The board is positioned so that each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner.
Starting Position
- Each player starts with 16 pieces
- 8 pawns on the second rank
- 2 rooks on the corners (a1, h1 for white; a8, h8 for black)
- 2 knights next to rooks
- 2 bishops next to knights
- Queen on her own color (white queen on light square, black queen on dark square)
- King on the remaining center square
- White always moves first
The Pieces
The most important piece. If your king is checkmated, you lose the game.
Movement: One square in any direction (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal)
Special Rules:
- Cannot move into check
- Cannot castle through check or while in check
- Can castle once per game (see special moves)
The most powerful piece on the board. Combines the movement of rook and bishop.
Movement: Any number of squares in any direction (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal)
Key Points:
- Cannot jump over other pieces
- Extremely valuable - protect it carefully
- Often best developed in mid-game rather than early game
Powerful in open files and ranks. Works best in pairs and in the endgame.
Movement: Any number of squares horizontally or vertically
Key Points:
- Cannot jump over other pieces
- Participates in castling
- Best on open files
Long-range piece that controls diagonals. Each bishop stays on its starting color throughout the game.
Movement: Any number of squares diagonally
Key Points:
- Cannot jump over other pieces
- One bishop on light squares, one on dark squares
- Two bishops working together (bishop pair) are very strong
The only piece that can jump over others. Moves in an "L" shape.
Movement: "L" shape - two squares in one direction, then one square perpendicular
Key Points:
- Can jump over other pieces (only piece with this ability)
- Always moves to a square of opposite color from starting square
- Maximum of 8 possible moves from center of board
- Strong in closed positions with many pieces on board
The soul of chess. Least valuable piece but with unique strategic importance.
Movement: One square forward (two squares on first move)
Capturing: One square diagonally forward
Special Rules:
- Cannot move backward
- Promotes to any piece (except king) when reaching the opposite end
- Can capture en passant (see special moves)
Special Moves
Castling
A special move involving the king and one rook. The only move where two pieces move simultaneously.
How to Castle:
- King moves two squares toward the rook
- Rook jumps over the king to the square next to it
Requirements:
- Neither king nor that rook have moved before
- No pieces between king and rook
- King is not in check
- King does not pass through check
- King does not end up in check
Strategic Tip: Castling is usually done early to protect your king and activate your rook.
Kingside castling (short castle) is more common than queenside castling (long castle).
En Passant
A special pawn capture that can only occur immediately after an opponent's pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position.
How It Works:
- Your pawn is on the 5th rank (4th rank for black)
- Opponent's pawn moves two squares forward from starting position, landing beside your pawn
- You can capture it as if it had only moved one square
- Must be done immediately on the next move, or the opportunity is lost
Pawn Promotion
When a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board (8th rank for white, 1st rank for black), it must immediately be promoted.
Promotion Rules:
- Can promote to Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight
- Cannot promote to King or remain a pawn
- Usually promoted to Queen (most powerful)
- Can have multiple queens or other pieces
- Promotion is part of the move - happens immediately
Strategic Tip: Occasionally promoting to a Knight (underpromotion) is useful for delivering checkmate
or avoiding stalemate.
Check, Checkmate & Stalemate
Check
When the king is under direct attack (threatened with capture).
When in Check, You MUST:
- Move the king to a safe square, OR
- Block the attack with another piece, OR
- Capture the attacking piece
You cannot make any move that leaves your king in check.
Checkmate
When the king is in check AND there is no legal move to escape check. This ends the game.
The game is over when:
- King is in check
- King cannot move to a safe square
- No piece can block the attack
- The attacking piece cannot be captured
Stalemate
When a player has no legal moves and their king is NOT in check. This results in a draw.
Stalemate Conditions:
- It's your turn to move
- Your king is not in check
- You have no legal moves available
- Game immediately ends in a draw
Important: Be careful when you have a large material advantage. Don't accidentally stalemate
your opponent when you're winning!
Other Ways the Game Can End
Draw by Agreement
Both players agree to end the game in a draw.
Resignation
A player can resign at any time, giving the opponent the win.
Insufficient Material
Neither player has enough pieces to checkmate. Examples:
- King vs King
- King + Bishop vs King
- King + Knight vs King
Threefold Repetition
The same position occurs three times with the same player to move. Either player can claim a draw.
50-Move Rule
If 50 consecutive moves are made without a pawn move or capture, either player can claim a draw.
Time Control
If a player runs out of time, they lose (unless the opponent cannot possibly checkmate, resulting in a draw).
Touch-Move Rule
Important in Tournament Play:
- If you touch a piece, you must move it (if legal)
- If you touch an opponent's piece, you must capture it (if legal)
- To adjust a piece, say "I adjust" or "j'adoube" before touching it
Note: On ChessBlock, you can freely preview moves before confirming.
Piece Values (Approximate)
These values help evaluate trades and positions:
- Pawn: 1 point (baseline)
- Knight: 3 points
- Bishop: 3 points (slightly stronger than knight in open positions)
- Rook: 5 points
- Queen: 9 points
- King: Infinite (losing it = losing the game)
Note: These are guidelines, not absolute values. Positional factors often matter more than material count.
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