Chess guides for beginners
Free beginner chess guides: how to play, how the pieces move, castling, en passant, checkmate, openings, tactics and ratings — with interactive boards.
Start here
- How to Play Chess: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners — Learn how to play chess step by step: set up the board, move every piece, castle, give checkmate and play your first game. Free, with interactive boards.
- How to Set Up a Chessboard Correctly — Set up a chessboard the right way: board orientation, rooks, knights, bishops, the queen on her color and the king, plus common setup mistakes.
- How Many Squares Are on a Chessboard? (64 or 204?) — A chessboard has 64 squares (8×8), but 204 if you count every square of every size. See the math, the 1,296 rectangles and an interactive board.
- How Do Chess Pieces Move? A Guide to Every Piece — How each chess piece moves and captures: king, queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawn, with interactive boards, piece values and tips for beginners.
- Free Chess Lesson Plans for Teachers (8 Weeks, K–8) — Free 8-week chess lesson plans for K–8 teachers: warm-ups, lessons, games, exit tickets and tips by grade, linked to free interactive lessons.
Rules explained
- Castling in Chess: How It Works and When You Can Castle — Learn how to castle in chess: the kingside and queenside moves, the five conditions that make castling legal, common mistakes and when to castle.
- En Passant: The Chess Rule Explained With Examples — What is en passant in chess? Learn how this special pawn capture works, the exact conditions, why the rule exists and how to write it in notation.
- Pawn Promotion: What Happens When a Pawn Reaches the End — What happens when a pawn reaches the other side of the board? Learn the pawn promotion rule, which pieces you can choose, and when to underpromote.
- Check, Checkmate and Stalemate: What's the Difference? — Learn the difference between check, checkmate and stalemate in chess, the three ways to get out of check, and how to avoid stalemating your opponent.
- How Can a Chess Game End in a Draw? All 5 Draw Rules — All the ways a chess game can end in a draw: stalemate, threefold repetition, the 50-move rule, insufficient material and agreement, with FIDE and USCF details.
- The Rules of Chess: Complete List of Official Rules (FIDE and US Chess) — The official rules of chess in one complete list: setup, piece moves, castling, en passant, check, draws, touch-move, clocks and FIDE vs US Chess rules.
- The Touch-Move Rule in Chess, Explained — The touch-move rule says a piece you touch must be moved. Learn what it covers, how to adjust pieces with "J'adoube", and how claims work.
- Chess Notation: How to Read and Write Chess Moves — Learn algebraic chess notation: square names, piece letters, captures, check, castling, promotion and symbols like ! and ?, so you can read and record any game.
- Chess Time Controls: Bullet, Blitz, Rapid and Classical — What do 3+2 or 15+10 mean? Learn the chess time controls (bullet, blitz, rapid, classical), increments and delays, and FIDE and USCF categories.
- How Long Does a Chess Game Last? (Online, Club and Tournament) — A casual chess game lasts 10–60 minutes, online blitz about 10, and a classical tournament game 3–5 hours. Free guide with the clock math and records.
- Chess Clock Rules: How to Use a Chess Clock (FIDE and US Chess) — Chess clock rules made simple: move first, then press with the same hand. Flag falls, delay vs increment, clock etiquette and FIDE vs US Chess rules.
Get better at chess
- The Best Chess Openings for Beginners (and Why They Work) — The best chess openings for beginners, explained: the 5 opening principles, then the Italian Game, London System, Queen's Gambit, Caro-Kann and more.
- Beginner Chess Opening Repertoire: What to Play as White and Black — Which chess openings should beginners learn? A ready-made repertoire: one opening for White, one reply each to 1.e4 and 1.d4, with plans, traps and drills.
- The Best Chess Openings for Black: Defenses Against 1.e4, 1.d4 and More — The best chess openings for Black against 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.c4 and 1.Nf3: Sicilian, French, Caro-Kann, King's Indian, Nimzo-Indian and more, compared.
- Basic Checkmates Every Beginner Should Know — Learn the essential checkmates: queen and king, rook and king, the ladder mate, back-rank mate, Scholar's Mate, Fool's Mate and smothered mate.
- How to Checkmate with King and Rook (Step by Step) — Learn the rook checkmate step by step: build a box, shrink it with your king and rook, use opposition and waiting moves, and avoid stalemate.
- Chess Tactics for Beginners: Forks, Pins, Skewers and More — The essential chess tactics for beginners: forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks, double checks and removing the defender, with puzzles to try.
- Chess Strategy Tips: How to Make a Plan in the Middlegame — Practical chess strategy tips: piece activity, pawn structure, outposts, open files, good and bad bishops, king safety, prophylaxis and when to trade.
- How to Get Better at Chess: A Practical Plan for Beginners — A practical plan to get better at chess: stop blundering, solve puzzles daily, play longer games, review your losses, learn endgames and build a weekly routine.
- How to Win at Chess: 8 Habits That Win More Games — How to win at chess more often: check every move for blunders, punish mistakes, castle early, trade when ahead, convert winning positions and use your clock.
- Chess Ratings Explained: Elo, Glicko, FIDE and USCF — How chess ratings work: the Elo system, Glicko-2, FIDE and USCF ratings, rating classes and titles, what a good rating is, and why online ratings differ.
- What Is a Good Chess Rating? By Age, Level and Site — A good chess rating is about 1200–1400 for casual players and 1800+ for strong club players. A free guide to what ratings mean by level, age and site.
- Chess Terms: A Glossary for Beginners (A to Z) — A beginner-friendly A to Z glossary of chess terms: from blunder, en prise and fianchetto to zugzwang and zwischenzug, with plain-English definitions.
- How to Start a Chess Club at School (Step-by-Step) — How to start a chess club at school, step by step: approval, a sponsor, low-cost sets, a first-meeting plan, ladders and tournaments. Free tools included.