How to play chess

The board

An 8×8 grid. Files are letters a–h left to right from White. Ranks are numbers 1–8 bottom to top from White. White sits on rank 1; Black on rank 8. Each side has a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns.

How pieces move

• Pawn — one square forward (two on its first step if both squares are empty). Captures one diagonal step forward. Never moves backward. A pawn that reaches the last rank promotes.
• Knight — an L: two squares, then one to the side. The only piece that jumps over others.
• Bishop — any number of empty squares on a diagonal.
• Rook — any number of empty squares along a rank or file.
• Queen — rook and bishop together. Strongest piece.
• King — one square any way. May not step into check.

Special moves

• Castling — the king steps two squares toward a rook, and that rook hops to the other side of the king. Both must be unmoved, the path empty, and the king not in check and not passing through check.
• En passant — if a pawn uses its two-step and lands beside an enemy pawn, that enemy may capture it as if it had stepped only one square, but only on the next move.
• Promotion — a pawn on the last rank becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight. Queen is usual.

Check, mate, draw

If your king is attacked, that is check — you must get him safe (move the king, block, or take the attacker). If you have no legal move and the king is in check, that is checkmate and you lose. If you have no legal move and the king is not in check, that is stalemate — a draw.

At this table

Tap a piece, then a square. Illegal taps are ignored. Undo takes back a move and voids Hall of Fame. PvC is you versus the mill; set mill ELO in Menu (200–2200). PvP is hot-seat at this table. How on the play page is only those table controls — not this rules list.