Overview

Chess is a two-player abstract strategy game played on an 8x8 board. Each player commands 16 pieces of different types with unique movement abilities. The objective is to checkmate the opponent’s king – placing it under attack with no legal escape. Chess is one of the oldest and most widely played strategy games in the world, governed by FIDE (World Chess Federation) rules.

Components

• 1 chessboard: 8x8 grid of 64 alternately light (“white”) and dark (“black”) squares
• 16 white pieces: 1 King, 1 Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 8 Pawns
• 16 black pieces: 1 King, 1 Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 8 Pawns

Setup

1. Orient the board so each player has a white square in the near-right corner.
2. Place pieces on the two rows closest to each player:
   • Back row (from left to right): Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, Rook
   • Front row: 8 Pawns
   • The Queen goes on the square matching her color (white queen on white square, black queen on black square).
3. White moves first.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On each turn, a player must make exactly one legal move. A move consists of moving one piece to a different square according to its movement rules, optionally capturing an opponent’s piece by moving to its square.

Actions

Piece Movement

Piece	Movement
King	1 square in any direction (horizontal, vertical, diagonal)
Queen	Any number of squares along a rank, file, or diagonal (cannot jump)
Rook	Any number of squares along a rank or file (cannot jump)
Bishop	Any number of squares along a diagonal (cannot jump)
Knight	“L-shape”: 2 squares in one direction + 1 square perpendicular (CAN jump over pieces)
Pawn	Forward 1 square (or 2 from starting position); captures diagonally forward 1 square

Special Moves

Castling: The King moves 2 squares toward a Rook, and the Rook moves to the square the King crossed. Requirements:

• Neither the King nor the chosen Rook has previously moved
• No pieces between the King and the Rook
• The King is not in check, does not pass through check, and does not land in check

En Passant: When a pawn advances 2 squares from its starting position and lands beside an opponent’s pawn, the opponent may capture it as if it had advanced only 1 square. This capture must be made on the immediately following turn or the right is lost.

Pawn Promotion: When a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board (8th rank), it must be immediately replaced by a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight of the same color (player’s choice). Promotion to a Queen is most common. The promoted piece takes effect immediately.

Check and Checkmate

Check: The King is under direct attack by an opponent’s piece. The player in check MUST resolve the check on their turn by:

• Moving the King to a safe square
• Blocking the attack with another piece
• Capturing the attacking piece

Checkmate: The King is in check and no legal move can resolve it. The game is over; the checkmating player wins.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Win: Checkmate the opponent’s King, or the opponent resigns.

Draw: The game is drawn if:

• Stalemate: The player to move has no legal moves and is NOT in check.
• Insufficient material: Neither player has enough pieces to checkmate (e.g., King vs. King, King+Bishop vs. King).
• Threefold repetition: The same position occurs 3 times with the same player to move.
• 50-move rule: 50 consecutive moves by each player without a pawn move or capture.
• Agreement: Both players agree to a draw.

In tournament play: Win = 1 point, Draw = 0.5 points, Loss = 0 points.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• You may never make a move that leaves your own King in check.
• A piece is considered to attack a square even if moving there would expose its own King.
• A pawn promoting to a second Queen (or other piece) is legal even if that piece was not previously captured.
• Castling is a single King move, not a Rook move. You must move the King first.
• You cannot castle out of check, through check, or into check.
• En passant capture is only available on the turn immediately after the opponent’s two-square pawn advance.
• Touch-move rule (tournament play): If you touch a piece, you must move it if legal.
• If no legal move is available and the King is not in check, it is stalemate (draw), not a loss.

Player Reference

Piece values (approximate):

Piece	Value
Pawn	1
Knight	3
Bishop	3
Rook	5
Queen	9
King	N/A (invaluable)

Setup reminder: White square in near-right corner. Queen on her own color.

Checkmate = Win. Stalemate = Draw.

Special moves: Castling (King+Rook), En Passant (Pawn), Promotion (Pawn reaches 8th rank).