How to Play Chess

Learn the rules to the board game Chess quickly and concisely - This visually rich video has no distractions, just the rules. Vea este vídeo en español aquí: https://youtu.be/soEAyjaeF-w

Play chess online for free here:
https://link.triplesgames.com/Play-Chess-Online

(As an chess.com affiliate we earn from qualifying subscriptions)

Don't own the game? Buy it here:
USA - https://amzn.to/2RMQwtO
Canada - https://amzn.to/3gCiKDV
UK - https://amzn.to/3Dmuhkx
Australia - https://amzn.to/3kuDJK0
(These Amazon Affiliate links directly supports me)

RULES: https://gamerules.com/rules/chess-board-game/

The object of the game is to checkmate the other king. Checkmate happens when the king is in a position to be captured, in check, and cannot escape from capture.

At the beginning of the game the chessboard is laid out so that each player is sitting across from the other and has the white or lighter colored square in the bottom right-hand side. The chess pieces are then arranged the same way each time. The second row is filled with pawns. The first row should be set up as follows going left to right: Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, Rook. You’ve set it up correctly if your queen is on the same colored square as the color of the piece.

The player with the white pieces always moves first. A turn consists of moving 1 piece 1 time. Players alternate turns until the end of the game.

Spaces may not be shared by pieces. Pieces cannot move through or over any other piece. Opponents’ pieces can be captured by correctly moving your piece to the square of an opponent’s piece. When a piece is captured, it is eliminated and removed from the board. Each of the 6 different kinds of pieces has a unique way of moving:

Pawns move one square forward (toward your opponents side of the board) at a time, unless it is the first time it is moved during the game, in which case it may be moved up to 2 squares forward. Pawns can only capture pieces one diagonal square in front of them, and cannot capture pieces directly in front of them, but is instead unable to move forward. If a pawn reaches the other side of the board, it can be changed into any other type of piece. This is called a promotion.

Rooks can move any number of squares side to side, or back and forth. Rooks cannot move diagonally. Rooks cannot jump pieces but instead capture the first enemy piece they move into.

Knights move in the shape of an “L”, moving 2 squares in one direction, except diagonal, then one more square at a 90 degree angle. The knight jumps over any pieces in the way, capturing any opponent piece in its final move position.

Bishops can move any number of squares diagonally. They capture the first enemy piece they move into.

The Queen can move any number of squares in any direction. The queen captures the first enemy piece she moves into.

The King can only move one square at a time in any direction. The King can never move himself into “Check”.

Whenever a move directly results in the opponent’s king being threatened, (meaning if action is not taken, the next turn the King would be captured) the attacking player must say “Check”. The opponent must then use their turn to protect the king either by moving the king out of check, moving a different piece to block the path of the attacker, or by capturing the piece that threatens the king.

If a move directly results in the opponent’s king being threatened, and there is no move to protect the king, the attacking player declares “checkmate,” the game is over, and he wins. A draw, or stalemate, occurs when the king is not in check and the player cannot legally move any of his pieces or there is any other situation where there is an impossibility of checkmate.

There are a couple other types of unique moves. The first is castling: On a player’s turn he may move his king two squares over to one side and then move the rook from that side’s corner to right next to the king on the opposite side. However, in order to castle, the following conditions must be met: it must be that king’s very first move, it must be that rook’s very first move, there cannot be any pieces between the king and rook, and the king may not be in check or pass through check.

The second is called “En Pasant.” If a pawn moves out two squares on its first move, and by doing so lands to the side of an opponent’s pawn, effectively jumping past the other pawn’s ability to capture it, that other pawn has the option of capturing the first pawn as it passes by, but must do so the very next turn, otherwise it loses the opportunity. To capture it, the pawn must move diagonally to the square directly behind the other pawn.

The first player to checkmate their opponent wins.