About Chess Online
Play chess online against a friend by sending a link or a six-character code, or use quick match to play whoever is waiting. Your pieces are at the bottom, every move is checked on the server, and a rematch swaps colours. Free, with no account needed.
Chess is a two-player strategy game on an 8×8 board. Each side starts with sixteen pieces: a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. You win by checkmating the other king, which means attacking it so that it has no way to escape. Play the computer at three levels, or a friend on the same screen. Every rule is included: castling, en passant, promotion and all the draw rules.
Also called: chess online, chess with friends, chess vs computer.
How to play Chess
- White moves first, then the players take turns. To move, drag a piece, or tap it and then tap a square. Dots mark the empty squares it can move to, and rings mark pieces it can capture.
- The king moves one square in any direction. The queen moves any distance in a straight line or along a diagonal. The rook moves any distance in a straight line, the bishop any distance along a diagonal, and the knight in an L shape: two squares one way and one to the side. The knight is the only piece that jumps over others.
- Pawns move one square forward, or two squares on their first move, and capture one square diagonally forward.
- Capture a piece by moving onto its square. When your king is attacked it is in check and gets a red ring. You must get out of check on your next move.
- If the side in check has no legal move, that is checkmate and the game is over. Against the computer, pick Easy, Medium or Hard, and choose White, Black or Random. Undo takes back your last move and the computer's reply.
Rules
- Castling: move the king two squares toward a rook, and the rook jumps to the square the king passed over. This is allowed only if neither piece has moved, the squares between them are empty, and the king is not in check and does not pass through or land on an attacked square.
- En passant: if a pawn moves two squares and lands beside an enemy pawn, that pawn may capture it as if it had moved one square. It must do so on the very next move or lose the chance.
- Promotion: a pawn that reaches the far rank becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight, whichever you choose.
- Draws: stalemate (the player to move has no legal move but is not in check), threefold repetition of the same position, fifty moves by each side with no capture or pawn move, or too little material left for either side to mate (for example king and bishop against king). This site applies repetition and the fifty-move rule automatically.
- You may not make a move that leaves your own king in check.
Chess tips and strategy
- Control the centre. Pawns and pieces on e4, d4, e5 and d5 reach the most squares and restrict your opponent.
- Develop quickly. Bring your knights and bishops out before moving the same piece twice, and before bringing the queen out early.
- Castle early to tuck your king behind pawns and connect your rooks.
- Before every move, check what your opponent is threatening. Most games between beginners are lost to a piece left undefended.
- Think in material: a pawn is worth about 1, a knight or bishop 3, a rook 5 and a queen 9. The number beside the captured pieces shows who is ahead.
- In the endgame, bring your king forward. With fewer pieces on the board it is a strong piece, and passed pawns become the main plan.
Chess questions
How strong is the computer?
Easy looks one move ahead and makes beginner mistakes, so new players can win. Medium thinks for about a third of a second and plays solid club-level chess. Hard thinks for about a second, searching 8 to 10 moves deep, and punishes loose pieces. It is a built-in engine written for this site, so it runs in your browser and works offline.
Why can't I castle?
Castling is not allowed if the king or that rook has already moved, if a piece stands between them, if your king is in check, or if the king would pass through or land on a square the opponent attacks. When castling is legal, a dot appears two squares beside the king.
What is en passant?
When a pawn advances two squares and lands next to an enemy pawn, the enemy pawn can capture it as though it had moved only one square. It must do so on the very next move. The capturing pawn ends up on the square the other pawn skipped over.
Can I promote to something other than a queen?
Yes. When a pawn reaches the last rank, a picker offers a queen, knight, rook or bishop. Promoting to a knight is sometimes the only way to give check or avoid stalemate.
Why did the game end in a draw?
A game is drawn by stalemate, when the same position occurs three times, after fifty moves by each side with no capture or pawn move, or when neither side has enough pieces left to checkmate. The status line under the toolbar says which one.
Is my game saved?
Yes. Your game is saved in this browser after every move, so you can close the tab and carry on later. Your wins, draws and losses are kept separately for each computer level.
Is Chess free to play?
Yes. Chess on Kultured Arcade is completely free: no download, no account and nothing to buy. It runs in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer.
Do I need to download Chess?
No. It opens instantly in your browser and saves your progress on your device, so there is nothing to install and no sign-up.
Can I play Chess on my phone?
Yes. The game fits your screen and works with touch as well as a mouse and keyboard, on iPhone, Android, tablets and computers.
Can I play Chess online with a friend?
Yes. Open the Online tab and choose Create invite, then send the link or the six-character code. The game starts as soon as your friend opens it. Quick match pairs you with someone who is waiting.