Challenge friends or players worldwide to a game of chess. Learn the rules, openings and strategy, and play chess online free on Android and iPhone.
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Chess is the world's most famous strategy game. Two players move sixteen pieces each on an 8×8 board, and the goal is to trap the opponent's king in checkmate. Chess has been played for more than a thousand years, and it remains popular because every game is different and every move matters.
When you play chess online you can find an opponent in seconds, choose your time control — bullet, blitz or rapid — and play from anywhere on your phone. The game checks every move, warns you about check and lets you review your play, so it is perfect for beginners as well as experienced players.
This guide covers the chess rules, how each piece moves, special moves such as castling and en passant, the ways a game can end, time controls, popular openings, ratings and a set of strategy tips to help you improve.
Each side has 16 pieces: a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. The board is always set with a white square at the bottom right.
Players move one piece at a time, alternating turns. White always moves first.
Each type of piece moves in its own way. Pieces cannot jump over others, except the knight.
Move onto a square occupied by an enemy piece to capture it. The captured piece leaves the board.
When you attack the opponent's king it is in check. They must escape, block or capture the attacking piece.
If the king is in check and has no way out, it is checkmate and the game is over.
Very fast games, usually one minute per player. Perfect for quick reflexes.
Three to five minutes per player, a great mix of speed and thought.
Ten minutes or more per player for deeper strategy and fewer mistakes.
Challenge a friend to a private game and play at your own pace.
Practise against the computer at different difficulty levels.
Play ranked matches to earn a rating and see how you improve.
Sharpen your tactics by solving positions and learning from mistakes.
Castling, en passant, promotion, check, checkmate, stalemate and draw rules are all handled automatically.
Choose the time control that fits your mood, from one minute to longer games.
Get matched with players of similar strength for close, fair games.
Send a challenge and play chess online with friends and family.
Practise at your own level against the computer.
Legal moves are highlighted so beginners can learn how each piece moves.
Look back at your moves to find mistakes and learn from them.
A clean board and smooth piece movement on Android and iPhone.
Server-side move checking keeps every game fair for both players.
| Piece | How it moves | Value |
|---|---|---|
| King | One square in any direction. It can never move into check. | Priceless |
| Queen | Any number of squares in a straight line or diagonal. | 9 |
| Rook | Any number of squares horizontally or vertically. | 5 |
| Bishop | Any number of squares diagonally, always on the same colour. | 3 |
| Knight | An L-shape: two squares one way and one square sideways. It can jump over pieces. | 3 |
| Pawn | Forward one square (two on its first move), captures diagonally forward. | 1 |
Piece values are a guide to help you decide trades. They are not exact, because position and activity matter as well.
| Result | What happens |
|---|---|
| Checkmate | The king is in check and cannot escape. The player who gives checkmate wins. |
| Resignation | A player gives up the game, and the opponent wins. |
| Timeout | A player runs out of time and loses, unless the opponent cannot possibly checkmate. |
| Stalemate | The player to move has no legal move but is not in check. The game is a draw. |
| Threefold repetition | The same position appears three times. A player can claim a draw. |
| Fifty-move rule | Fifty moves pass without a capture or a pawn move. A player can claim a draw. |
| Insufficient material | Neither player has enough pieces to checkmate. The game is a draw. |
| Draw by agreement | Both players agree to a draw. |
| Format | Time per player | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Bullet | Less than 3 minutes | Fast reflexes and quick fun |
| Blitz | 3 to 10 minutes | A balance of speed and strategy |
| Rapid | 10 to 60 minutes | Deeper thinking and learning |
| Classical | 60 minutes or more | Serious, long games |
You do not need to memorise long lines. Follow simple principles: control the centre, develop your knights and bishops, castle early and connect your rooks.
Download the chess game from Google Play or the App Store and start a game in seconds. Move pieces with a tap or a drag, choose your time control and challenge friends or players around the world on Android and iPhone.
Control the centre and develop your knights and bishops early.
Castle early to keep your king safe.
Before every move, check for opponent threats and tactics.
Do not trade your pieces without a plan.
Learn basic endgames such as king and pawn versus king.
Review your games to learn from your mistakes.
Yes. You can download the chess game and play chess online free against friends, the computer or players worldwide.
Each player moves one piece at a time. White starts. The aim is to checkmate the opponent's king so that it is attacked and cannot escape.
The king moves one square, the queen any distance in any straight direction, the rook in straight lines, the bishop diagonally, the knight in an L-shape and the pawn forward with diagonal captures.
Checkmate is when a king is in check and there is no legal move to escape, block or capture the attacker. The game ends and the checkmating player wins.
Stalemate happens when the player to move has no legal move but is not in check. The game ends in a draw.
Castling is a special move where the king moves two squares towards a rook and the rook jumps to the other side. It protects the king and activates the rook.
En passant is a special pawn capture that is available only immediately after an enemy pawn moves two squares forward and lands next to your pawn.
They are time controls. Bullet games are under three minutes per player, blitz games about 3 to 10 minutes and rapid games 10 minutes or more.
The Italian Game, the Queen's Gambit and the London System are easy to learn and follow sound principles.
Play regularly, solve tactics puzzles, learn basic endgames and review your games to understand your mistakes.
Ratings such as Elo estimate your strength. You gain points when you beat stronger players and lose points when you lose to weaker players.
Yes. Create a private game, challenge a friend and play at the time control you prefer.
Yes. Download the chess game from Google Play or the App Store and play on Android or iPhone.
Yes. Download the game free from Google Play or the App Store and play Chess on Android or iOS.
Yes. Gamostar develops custom and white label Chess games — see our Chess game development page.
Looking to build a game like this? See Chess Game Development.
Download the free app and start your first game in seconds.