The Basics
Chess is a two-player strategy game played on an 8x8 grid called a chessboard. Each player starts with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns.
The Objective
The goal is to checkmate your opponent's king. This means putting the king in a position where it's under attack (in "check") and cannot escape.
How Pieces Move
- King: Moves one square in any direction
- Queen: Moves any number of squares horizontally, vertically, or diagonally
- Rook: Moves any number of squares horizontally or vertically
- Bishop: Moves any number of squares diagonally
- Knight: Moves in an "L" shape: two squares in one direction, then one square perpendicular (can jump over other pieces)
- Pawn: Moves forward one square (or two squares from starting position), captures diagonally
Special Moves
- Castling: A special move involving the king and a rook
- En Passant: A special pawn capture
- Promotion: When a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board, it becomes a queen, rook, bishop, or knight
Getting Started on Chessury
- Click "Play" in the navigation menu
- Choose to play against the computer or challenge another player
- Select your time control and start playing!