Chess Rules

How to play chess.

The Rules of Modern European Chess

These rules are provided by Masters Traditional Games, an Internet shop selling quality traditional games, pub games and unusual games.  We publish free game rules in order to promote game playing around the world. To find out more, visit the website www.mastersgames.com or email custserv@mastersgames.com.

You are welcome to print, copy or pass these rules on but only in their original form including the copyright and the information about Masters Traditional Games.  The disclaimer on the Masters Traditional Games website applies.

These rules are comprehensive instructions for friendly play. They are not a complete set of standard regulations encompassing all situations that might be encountered. If in doubt, players should always abide by locally-played or house rules.

Jaques of London are the foremost manufacturer of Chess pieces. The oldest game manufacturer in the world, it was Jaques who introduced the classic Staunton style of chessmen now used everywhere and Jaques sets are used in the majority of todays major Chess tournaments. To obtain Jaques Chess equipment including their extremely special tournament and limited-edition sets, visit the Masters Traditional Games website.

Equipment

The game of Chess is played on a square chequered board of 64 squares.  The pieces for each player consist of 8 Pawns, 2 Rooks also known as castles, 2 Knights, 2 Bishops, a King and a Queen.  The real colours of the pieces and the board do not necessarily need to be black and white but they are normally referred to as black and white, regardless.  The board is placed between the two opponents so that the near right-hand corner square is white for both players.

In many top level games, a chess clock is used.  This keeps track of the amount of the total amount of time for each player's moves so far.   There is an upper limit on the total amount of time that a player can take and when the player exceeds this limit, that player loses.

Preparation and Objective

Each player's eight Pawns are placed on the second nearest row to the player.  The remaining pieces are placed on the row nearest to the player in the following way:   the Rooks in each corner, the Knights on the next square in from the corner, the Bishops next to the Knights.  Of the two squares remaining, the Queen is placed on the square that is the same colour as the Queen.  The King is placed on the remaining square.

The objective of the game is to capture the opposing player's King.  The King is never actually taken; instead the aim is put the opponent's King into a position such that the opposing player can do nothing to avoid the King being taken next turn.  As soon as this happens, the victorious player who has just moved says "checkmate" and the game is over.

Basic Play

Players take turns to move a piece of their own colour.  White moves first.   Each piece is moved according to different rules but no two pieces can occupy the same square.  If a piece moves so that its final position is a square occupied by an opposing piece, the opposing piece is "captured" or "taken" and is removed from the board.  It is not compulsory to capture.  Any square that could be moved into by a piece is said to be "attacked" by that piece.  When a piece is moved to a position that attacks the square occupied by the opponent's King, the King is in "check" and the player who moved the piece must clearly say "check".
• King - moves one space in any direction diagonally or orthogonally EXCEPT that the King cannot move onto a square that is attacked by an opposing piece.
• Queen - moves any number of spaces in any direction, diagonally or orthogonally but cannot jump over another piece.
• Rook - moves any number of spaces orthogonally but cannot jump over another piece.
• Bishop - moves any number of spaces diagonally but cannot jump over another piece.
• Knight - moves one square orthogonally and then one square diagonally.  The Knight is the only piece that can jump over other pieces.
• Pawn - The first move of a Pawn can be either one square or two squares forward.   Thereafter, the standard move of a pawn is to move one square forwards.  However, the pawn is the only piece that moves differently when capturing:- a Pawn takes another piece by moving forward one square diagonally .

Special rules

En Passant

If a Pawn in the fifth row is in the situation where an opposing Pawn moves next to it by moving for the first time and opting to move two squares, the Pawn in the fifth row may take the opposing Pawn by moving forward one square diagonally behind the opposing pawn.   i.e. the Pawn takes as though the opposing Pawn moved only one square instead of two.  En Passant is French for "In passing" so, in English, the Pawn is "taken in passing".

Castling

Once per game, a player may choose to "castle" instead of a playing standard move.  Castling is effected by moving both a Rook and the King in the same move so that they cross over each other but this special move can only be done if all the following criteria are met:
• Neither the King or the Rook have yet moved.
• There are no pieces between the King and the Rook.
• The King is not in check.
• The square that the King moves over is not being attacked by an opposing piece.

If the above are all true, a player can castle by moving the the King two places towards the Rook and, in the same move, repositioning the Rook next to the King on the square that the King moved over.  Castling is usually done to protect the King behind a row of Pawns and/or to move a Rook into play alongside the other Rook since a pair of Rooks is a powerful combination.

Promotion of Pawns

If a Pawn reaches the eighth row, that Pawn is immediately promoted by replacing the Pawn with another piece - Queen, Rook, Bishop or Knight at the player's discretion.   Normally, a player chooses to replace the Pawn with the most powerful piece, the Queen.  There is no problem with having more than one Queen or more than two of the other pieces on the board at the same time.  Although Pawns rarely do get promoted, the threat posed by a Pawn nearing the other side of the board can be a useful tactical weapon.

Finishing

Checkmate

When a piece is moved so it puts the opposing King in check, the King must get out of check in the next turn.  There are only three ways to do this:
• The attacking piece may be taken by the King or another piece.
• Another piece may be moved between the attacking piece and the King (unless the attacking piece is a Knight, of course).
• The King may move to an adjacent square that is not under attack.

If the King cannot move out of check in one of these ways, the player who puts the King in check says "checkmate" instead of "check" and the game finishes.

Stalemate

In chess, a draw is called a "stalemate".  Stalemate can happen in one of three ways:
• It becomes impossible for either player to checkmate with the pieces remaining.
• A player's King is not in check but that player cannot move without placing the King in check.
• The same position of pieces is repeated three times with the same player to move each time.
• One player proposes a stalemate and the other player agrees to the proposal.

Resignation

Once it is believed that the opposing player will inevitably win, a player will normally resign to save time.  A player traditionally resigns by tipping over his or her King.

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