How to play chess
Stockfish 16.1 · runs in your browserPlay e4. White's e-pawn moves from e2 to e4; Black moves next.
Play on the board, or use Type a move below it.
Play a move by typing it, like e4, Nf3 or e7e8q, then press Enter.
Commentary
Move a piece, paste a position, or press the button.
Best move
White moves first, then players take turns moving one piece, except that castling moves two pieces. Win by checkmating the opposing king: attack it so there is no legal escape. Start by trying a pawn move, then a knight move.
Try the moves
Choose an example, play the suggested move, then reset to compare another legal move.
A pawn moves forward but captures diagonally. Knights jump; bishops, rooks and queens need clear paths.
You must answer check. A move that leaves your own king in check is illegal.
Chess rules
Take turns, make legal moves and answer check. Checkmate wins; stalemate draws. Special pawn rules and castling have their own lessons.
Chess strategy for a first game
Before choosing a move, check threats to both kings and look for undefended pieces. Use the board to compare replies; a single example cannot guarantee a winning plan.
Rules and examples
The board positions are original teaching examples. Rule references and further practice are linked below.
Rules: FIDE Laws of Chess, effective 1 January 2023. https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/E012023
Rule replay: python-chess 1.11.2 (GPL-3.0-or-later). The shared browser engine retains its Stockfish GPL-3.0 notice. No engine score is claimed by these demonstrations.
Read the rulesA move on the board
rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/4P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR b KQkq e3 0 1
- e4White's e-pawn moves from e2 to e4; Black moves next.
White's e-pawn moves from e2 to e4; Black moves next.
Original teaching example replayed with python-chess 1.11.2, 2026-10-18.
Analysis runs on Stockfish 16.1 in your browser, compiled to WebAssembly by stockfish.js. Stockfish is free software under the GNU General Public License v3; its source code is on GitHub.