Joystyk

Board game

Chess

The classic game of kings: checkmate your opponent with five computer levels, a friend on one device, or an online room with game clocks.

Status
Play now
Players
2 players
Modes
Against the computer, Pass and play, Online with friends
Computer players
Yes

Play Chess

About Chess

Chess is the classic strategy game for two players on a board of 64 squares. Each side commands a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns, and wins by checkmating the other king. Play the computer at five levels, from Beginner to Expert, pass the device to a friend, or open an online room with a game clock. Type moves in algebraic notation if you like, and copy any position as FEN or the whole game as PGN.

How to play Chess

  1. White moves first; players then take turns, one move each, and you may never leave your own king in check.
  2. Kings move one square, queens any distance in a straight line or diagonal, rooks along ranks and files, bishops along diagonals, and knights in an L shape, jumping over pieces. Pawns move forward one square, two from their starting square, and capture one square diagonally forward.
  3. Castling moves the king two squares toward a rook, which jumps over it, if neither has moved, the squares between are empty, and the king is not in check and does not pass through or land on an attacked square.
  4. A pawn that has just advanced two squares can be captured en passant by an enemy pawn beside it, on the very next move only. A pawn reaching the last rank becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight.
  5. Checkmate wins. Stalemate, threefold repetition, fifty moves by each side without a capture or pawn move, too little material to mate, or an accepted draw offer end the game in a draw.
  6. In online rooms each player has a clock that gains a few seconds with every move. Running out loses, unless your opponent has only a king, or a king and one bishop or knight, which is a draw.