Chess

Play a full game of chess against the computer, as White or Black, at three levels. Every rule is in: castling, en passant, promotion and every draw.

Won: 0
Lost: 0
Drawn: 0

Pieces the AI has taken: none

Pieces you have taken: none

Moves

No moves yet

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Click a piece, then the square to move it to, or drag it. With the keyboard, move between squares with the arrow keys and press Enter to pick up and put down.Tap a piece, then the square to move it to, or drag it.

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About Chess

Chess is the classic two-player strategy game: each side has sixteen pieces, and the goal is to checkmate the other king, attacking it so that it cannot escape. Here you play against a computer opponent that can be gentle or genuinely tough.

Play as White and move first, or as Black and answer the AI’s opening. Every rule of the game is built in, the move list shows the game in standard notation, and a game in progress is saved in your browser, so you can come back to it.

How to play Chess

Choose the AI: Easy (looks one move ahead and often misses things), Medium (looks about three moves ahead) or Hard (searches as deep as it can in under a second). Then choose your colour.
Click or tap one of your pieces. Dots show where it can go, and rings show pieces it can take. Click the square to move there, or drag the piece.
When a pawn reaches the far side, choose what it becomes: a queen, rook, bishop or knight.
The game ends in checkmate, or in a draw by stalemate, repetition, the fifty-move rule or too little material to mate. You can also resign.

Chess controls

Keyboard
Choose a piece, then its square	Click, or Enter on the focused square
Move a piece	Drag it to its square
Move between squares	Arrow keys (Tab reaches the board)
Put a chosen piece back	Esc
New game	N
Sound on or off	M

Touch screens
Choose a piece, then its square	Tap them
Move a piece	Or drag it

Chess rules

How the pieces move

The king moves one square in any direction. The queen moves any distance in a straight line or diagonally; the rook in straight lines; the bishop diagonally. The knight jumps in an L shape, two squares one way and one the other, over anything in between.

A pawn moves straight forward one square, or two from its starting square, and takes diagonally forward. No piece may pass through another, except the knight, and you take a piece by moving onto its square.

Special moves

Castling: if your king and a rook have not moved, the squares between them are empty, and the king is not in check and does not pass through or land on an attacked square, the king moves two squares toward the rook and the rook jumps over it.

En passant: when a pawn moves two squares and lands beside one of your pawns, your pawn may take it as if it had moved one square, but only on the very next move.

Promotion: a pawn that reaches the last rank becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight of your choice.

Check, checkmate and draws

A king that is attacked is in check, and you must get out of check at once. You may never make a move that leaves your own king in check. If you are in check and cannot escape, it is checkmate and the game is lost.

The game is drawn by stalemate (no legal move but not in check), when the same position comes up three times, after fifty moves each with no capture or pawn move, or when neither side has enough pieces left to checkmate.

Your wins, losses and draws against each level are kept in this browser.

The AI levels

Easy looks one move ahead and adds randomness, so it often misses threats. Medium looks about three moves ahead. Hard searches as deep as it can in under a second, usually five to seven moves ahead, and plays out captures before it judges a position.

Tips and strategy

Control the centre early with your pawns and pieces, and bring out your knights and bishops before your queen.
Castle early to keep your king safe and connect your rooks.
Before each move, check what your opponent’s last move threatens.
Count the attackers and defenders before you take a piece: an exchange that loses material is worse than no exchange.
In the endgame your king becomes a strong piece. Bring it toward the middle.

Frequently asked questions

Is the computer cheating or looking at my moves?

No. It only sees the board, like you. It searches possible moves in your browser and picks the one it rates best, with some randomness on the easier levels.