Chess
Chess is the classic game of the board. Move your pieces, protect your king and checkmate the computer. Free, no install, no sign-up.
Chess is sixteen pieces each on an eight by eight board. You win by checkmate — trapping the opponent's king so it cannot escape attack — and every piece moves its own way.
Works offline after the first visit. No install, no sign-up.
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How to play Chess
The goal
You win by checkmate: trapping the opponent's king so it cannot move out of attack. You lose your own king the same way, so keeping it safe is the whole game.
How the pieces move
The rook moves in straight lines, the bishop on the diagonals, the queen both. The knight jumps in an L, the pawn steps forward and captures diagonally, and the king moves one square at a time.
Special moves
A pawn that reaches the far edge becomes a queen. Castling moves the king and rook together once; en passant captures a pawn that has just slipped past yours.
Turn order and the computer
White moves first and you are white. The computer replies with the same legal moves, so it cannot make a move you would not be allowed.
Castling has four conditions
The king and the rook on that side must both be sitting on their original squares and neither may have moved earlier in the game, every square between them must be empty, and the king may not be in check or cross a square that is under attack. If that rook is captured, that side of castling is gone for good.
En passant lasts one move only
When an enemy pawn runs two squares and finishes beside one of yours, you may capture it as though it had only moved one. The chance is offered on your very next move and then disappears, so it is a one-move window rather than a standing right.
A pawn always becomes a queen
Reaching the far edge turns the pawn into a queen and that is the only promotion the game offers. There is no choice of knight, bishop or rook to make.
Picking a piece and moving it
Tap one of your white pieces and its legal squares are marked on the board, then tap the square you want. The arrow keys walk a cursor around instead, with space or enter to select, so the whole game can be played without a pointer.
Chess Tips and Strategy
Develop knights first
A knight on the edge reaches only four squares while the same knight in the middle reaches eight, and bishops are slower to matter than knights. Get both knights out and keep the queen home until your pieces are placed.
It only counts material
The computer searches three moves deep and its evaluation is a fixed value per piece, so pawn structure, king safety and control of the centre are worth nothing to it. That makes material wins decisive and quiet long-term advantages invisible, so play for direct gains rather than for slow positional pressure.
Never leave a piece free
Because the evaluation counts pieces rather than squares, a hanging piece is simply removed. Check every time that nothing of yours can be taken before you start a combination, since material is the one thing it truly understands.
Castle before the centre opens
A king left in the middle becomes a target as soon as the pawns move, and the computer takes anything it can reach. Castling puts it behind three untouched pawns and brings a rook towards the middle in one move.
Trade when you are ahead
The computer values pieces and nothing else, so every even trade leaves you with the same lead in a quieter position. Once you are a piece up, swapping pieces removes the chances it has to catch up.
Chess — Frequently Asked Questions
Do I always move first?
Yes. You play white on a fresh board, and white always moves first.
Can the computer be beaten?
Yes. It prefers to develop its pieces and grab material, but it does not search deeply, so a careful plan wins.
What is checkmate?
The king is under attack and has no legal square, no block and no capture available. That ends the round.
Does it need installing or an account?
No. It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer and works offline after the first visit.
How strong is the computer?
It looks three moves ahead and judges a position only by the value of the pieces on it. It spots captures well, but pawn structure, king safety and the centre mean nothing to it.
Can the game end in a draw?
Yes, but only by stalemate: you have no legal move while your king is not being attacked. Draws by repetition, by the fifty-move rule or by too little material are not implemented.
Why can I not castle?
One of the four conditions has failed. Either the king or that rook has already moved, a square between them is occupied, or the king is in check or would have to cross an attacked square.
Does either side have a clock?
No. There is no clock and no time limit, so the round lasts as long as it needs to.
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