Reference

Piece movement and rules

Review how each piece moves and special rules such as castling at any time.

Chess reference

Piece movement quick reference

Open it only when needed during the tutorial.

Move record and board coordinates

Standard human-readable notation

Move record and coordinates PGN / SAN ♘f3

Code for storage and integration UCI g1f3

From White's side, the lower-left square is a1.

Visual reference

Piece catalog

The six types of Chess pieces each have different movement directions and preferred ranges.

6 types

Chess pieces

16 per side

King Moves one square in any direction. You lose if it is checkmated.

Queen The strongest piece, moving freely vertically, horizontally, and diagonally.

Rook Moves any number of squares vertically or horizontally.

Bishop Moves any number of squares diagonally.

Knight Jumps in an L shape and can leap over other pieces.

Pawn Advances forward, captures diagonally forward, and promotes on the last rank.

King (K)

One square in any direction Safety comes first. Castling can move it to a safer area. Promotion: No promotion

Queen (Q)

Any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally The strongest piece, combining the moves of a rook and bishop. Promotion: No promotion

Rook (R)

Any number of squares vertically or horizontally Especially powerful on an open file. Promotion: Takes part in castling

Bishop (B)

Any number of squares diagonally It always stays on squares of the same color. The bishop pair is especially powerful. Promotion: No promotion

Knight (N)

Jumps in an L shape (2+1) The only piece that can jump over others, and excellent at forks. Promotion: No promotion

Pawn (P)

One square forward (two squares on its first move) It captures one square diagonally forward and can use en passant and promotion. Promotion: Promotes to Q/R/B/N on the last rank

The objective is checkmate: win by checking the opposing king so it has no escape. Castling: when the conditions are met, you can move the king and rook together. En passant: immediately after an opposing pawn advances two squares, you may capture it as if it had advanced only one. Promotion: when a pawn reaches the last rank, it promotes to a queen or another piece. Stalemate: if the player to move has no legal move and is not in check, the game is a draw. Fifty-move rule: a draw may be claimed after 50 moves with no capture or pawn move. Threefold repetition: a draw may be claimed when the same position occurs three times. Moves that put your own king in check are illegal: you may not expose your king to attack.

Special rules

Castling: available when the king and rook have not moved, no pieces stand between them, and the king's transit and destination squares are not attacked. It may be kingside (O-O) or queenside (O-O-O).
En passant: only on the move immediately after an opposing pawn advances two squares beside your pawn, you may capture diagonally onto the square it passed over.
Promotion: when a pawn reaches the last rank, it promotes to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight (usually a queen).

Check and game outcome

Check: the king is under attack. You must resolve it by moving the king, capturing the attacker, or blocking the attack.
Checkmate: there is no legal move that resolves the check. The checkmated side loses.
You may not make a move that places your own king in check or fails to resolve an existing check.

Draw rules

Stalemate: the game is a draw when the player to move has no legal moves and is not in check.
Fifty-move rule: a draw may be claimed if the last 50 moves contain no pawn move or capture.
Threefold repetition: a draw may be claimed when the same position occurs three times.
Insufficient material: the game is automatically drawn when neither side has enough material to checkmate (such as K vs. K).

Chess

Learning

CMS managed tracks

Learning Rules

Rules and Special Moves

Castling, en passant, promotion, check, checkmate

3Modules 11Items

Chess Basics Beginner / 4min

Two players move pieces alternately, and the winner is the one who checkmates the opponent's king.

Article Checkmate the Opposing King
Move sequence Move pieces one turn at a time, alternating sides.
Move sequence Capture an Opposing Piece
Move sequence Promote the Pawn
Move sequence Checkmate the King

Special Rules Beginner / 8min

Learn castling, en passant, and promotion in one beginner module.

Article Castling Basics

Practical tutorial Beginner / 7min

Use piece value, the center, and king safety as foundations for tactics, openings, and endgames.

Article Read Immediate Threats and Long-Term Plans Together
Article Center, development, and king safety
Article Find Tactical Motifs
Article Compare Opening Plans
Article Win the basic endgame