Lesson 1 of 8

Chess Basics: Board, Pieces, Check, and Special Rules

Learn the board, how every piece moves, check and checkmate, and castling, en passant, and pawn promotion.

Practice puzzles

Welcome to chess!

Lesson 1 — Board, Pieces, and Rules

Chess is a game between two players. One plays the white army, the other plays the black army.

Today we'll cover everything you need to play your first game:

  • The board and how to set it up
  • How each of the six pieces moves and captures
  • Check, checkmate, and three special rules
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