Lessons

Learn To Play Chess

Learn To Play Chess

CHESScom
Chess.com Team
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Learn how all of the pieces move and how to play the game!

Are you learning the royal game? Do you want to play chess with a friend or family member? Then this course is for you! By learning the material in this course you will be ready to get started on your own games.

Here is what you will learn:

  • What pawn promotion is and how to do it
  • The movement of every chess piece
  • How to checkmate and win the game!

The King and the Goal

Chess is won by checkmating - trapping - the opponent’s king. The king can move to any square that’s directly next to it: up, down, sideways, or diagonal.
1 min
5 Challenges

The Queen

The queen can move forwards, backward, sideways, and diagonally like a king. However, unlike the king, the queen can move as far as it wants to in each of these directions.
1 min
5 Challenges

The Rook

The rook can move forwards, backward, and sideways.
1 min
5 Challenges

The Bishop

The bishop can move diagonally like a queen, but not forward, backward, or sideways. Each side starts with two bishops, one on a light square and one on a dark square.
1 min
5 Challenges

The Knight

The knight is the only chess piece that doesn't go in a straight line. The knight moves two squares in one direction and then turns and goes one square to the side.
1 min
5 Challenges

The Pawn

Pawns move one square forward and cannot move back. A pawn may advance two squares on its first move. Pawns can only capture one square diagonally ahead.
2 min
5 Challenges

Pawn Promotion

When a pawn reaches the end of the board it “promotes”, it turns into another piece. Most of the time players promote to a queen, but a rook, knight, or bishop is also possible.
1 min
5 Challenges

En Passant

There is one weird pawn move where a pawn makes its first move up two squares and can be captured! Watch the video to learn more.
1 min
5 Challenges

Moving and Capturing

A great strategy to help win chess games is to capture opposing pieces. Most captures are made the same way that pieces normally move, but pawns capture diagonally.
3 min
5 Challenges

Check

Check means that a king is being threatened. A king can never actually be captured, so the other side must get out of check by moving, blocking, or capturing the checking piece.
1 min
5 Challenges

Getting Out of Check

When you are in check you must escape. The ways to get out of check are to move the king, block the check with another piece, or capture the checking piece.
1 min
5 Challenges

Checkmate

You win when your opponent is in check and cannot escape. That is called checkmate!
1 min
5 Challenges

Castling

The king may move two squares to either side, with the rook moving to the other side of the king. Not legal if either piece has moved or if the king would move into, out of, or through check.
3 min
5 Challenges

Learn To Play Chess

How to Play
13 Lessons
18 Minutes
65 Challenges
Released 10/18/2018

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