Chess

Chess

2 players - based on the rulebook of the Royal Dutch Chess Federation (KNSB)

Aim

Checkmate your opponent's king.

Setup

The white pieces stand on the bottom row, from left to right: rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook. The pawns go on the row in front of them. Black sets up the same way opposite. Note: the bottom-left square is dark, and each queen stands on a square of her own colour. White begins. Skipping a turn is not allowed. 

Rules that apply to every piece

You may not move to a square that is already occupied by one of your own pieces. You may move to a square occupied by an opponent's piece: that piece then comes off the board. Only the knight can jump over other pieces.

How the pieces move

• King: any direction, one square at a time. Never onto a square where it would be in check, so never next to the enemy king either.
• Queen: any direction, as far as she likes.
• Rook: in straight lines only, as far as it likes.
• Bishop: diagonally only, as far as it likes. It stays on the same colour for the whole game.
• Knight: one square diagonally and one square straight, in an L-shape.
• Pawn: one or two squares forward on its first move, then one square per turn. It captures diagonally forwards.

How the game ends

If you attack the king, it is in check and your opponent has to escape from it. If that is impossible, it is checkmate and you have won.

A game can also end in a draw: by stalemate, when the player to move is not in check but has no legal move at all. Also when the players agree a draw between them, when too few pieces are left to deliver mate, when the same position occurs three times, or when fifty moves have passed without a pawn being moved and without a piece being captured.

Three special moves

• Castling: the only move in which you move two pieces at once. Move your king two squares sideways and bring the rook from the corner straight over it, next to the king. Castling kingside moves the rook two squares, castling queenside three. Conditions: the king is not in check, does not pass over a square where it would be in check, is not in check afterwards, king and rook have not moved yet, and there are no pieces in between.
• Promotion: when a pawn reaches the far side, it turns into a queen, rook, bishop or knight, whichever you choose.
• En passant: if a pawn moves two squares from its starting position and so comes to stand directly beside an enemy pawn, that pawn may act as if the first had moved only one square and capture it. This can only be done on the very next move.