What Is Chess?
- Chess is played by two players.
- White always makes the first move.
- The players move alternately.
- The goal is to checkmate the opponent’s king.
1. Basic Rules of the Game
These are the rules every child should know before playing a first serious game.
What Is Checkmate?
- The king is under attack.
- The king cannot escape.
- The king cannot be protected.
- The attacking piece cannot be captured.
The King Is Never Captured
The king is never removed from the board. If the opponent’s king has no legal defense against check, it is checkmate and the game is over.
2. The Chessboard
The board has 64 squares: 32 light and 32 dark. It is important for a student to know the correct board orientation, files, ranks and diagonals.
Chessboard: White Square on the Right
Rule: when you place the board in front of you, the bottom-right square must be white.
Files
Files run vertically from White toward Black and are labeled a–h.
Ranks
Ranks run horizontally and are numbered 1–8.
Diagonals
Diagonals connect squares of the same color and run diagonally across the board.
Diagonals in the Other Direction
Diagonals run in both diagonal directions. Bishops move along diagonals.
The Small and Extended Center
Center is the most important part of the board. The small center consists of d4, e4, d5 and e5, while the extended center covers the 16 central squares.
A Square on the Chessboard
Every square has a coordinate made of a letter and a number, for example e4, d5 or h8.
Algebraic Notation
Algebraic notation helps us record a move precisely: the piece, destination square, capture, check, checkmate and castling.
Benko Chess tip: children learn the board most easily by first remembering: white square on the right, files, ranks, diagonals and the center.
3. Pieces and Starting Position
Before the first game, a student should know where the pieces start and how each piece moves.
Starting Position of the Pieces
Rooks in the corners.
Knights next to the rooks.
Bishops next to the knights.
Queen on her own color.
King next to the queen.
Pawns in front of the pieces.
Starting Position of the Pieces
Parts of the Chessboard
Important: before the first game, check that the bottom-right square is white, then learn the files, ranks, diagonals and center of the board.
Starting Position in Chess
How the Pieces Move
Each piece moves in a different way. Here are the basic movement rules.
King Movement
King moves one square in any direction. The king may not move onto an attacked square.
Queen Movement
Queen moves along files, ranks and diagonals. It is the most powerful piece.
Rook Movement
Rook moves straight along files and ranks.
Bishop Movement
Bishop moves only along diagonals. One bishop stays on light squares and the other stays on dark squares.
Knight Movement
Knight moves in an L-shape and is the only piece that can jump over other pieces. After every move it lands on a square of the opposite color.
Pawn Movement
Pawn moves straight forward and captures diagonally. From its starting square it may move one or two squares. When it reaches the last rank, it is promoted to a queen, rook, bishop or knight.
Video Lessons for Beginners
Four short lessons that help students understand the board, pieces, movement, attacks, captures and pawns more easily.
Chessboard and Pieces
An introduction to the chessboard, squares and basic pieces.
How the Pieces Move
How the king, queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawn move.
Attacking and Capturing Pieces
Basic rules of attack, defense and capturing enemy pieces.
Pawn Movement
Pawns move in a special way: forward, capture diagonally and have important special rules.
4. Check, Checkmate and Stalemate
These are three of the most important concepts for ending a game and keeping the king safe.
Check
Check is an attack on the king. When the king is in check, the player must immediately find a legal defense.
Checkmate
Checkmate is a position in which the king is attacked and has no legal way to escape. Checkmate ends the game.
Stalemate
Stalemate is a position in which the player is not in check but has no legal move. The game is drawn.
Remember: the king is never captured. A king can be in check or checkmated, and a game can also end in stalemate.
5. Special Rules
Castling, promotion and en passant are rules that beginners often confuse, so they should be learned separately.
Castling
Castling is a special move involving the king and rook. The king moves two squares toward the rook, and the rook then moves over the king so that the two pieces end up next to each other. If you touch the rook first, you may not castle on that move and must move the rook under the touch-move rule.
Castling is not possible if the king has already moved, if that rook has already moved, if the king is in check, if the king crosses an attacked square, or if it ends on an attacked square.
White is preparing kingside castling, while Black is preparing queenside castling
Castling – after the move
Pawn Promotion
When a pawn reaches the last rank, it must immediately be replaced by a queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same color.
A pawn is most often promoted to a queen, but it may also become a rook, bishop or knight.
Pawn Promotion
En Passant – Capturing a Pawn in Passing
When an opponent’s pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position and passes over a square attacked by your pawn, your pawn may capture it en passant. This right exists only immediately; if it is not used on that move, en passant is no longer possible.
The diagrams show the starting position, Black’s two-square pawn move and the final position after the en passant capture.
1. Starting Position
2. The Pawn Passed Through an Attacked Square
3. En Passant Capture
6. Piece Values
Piece values help beginners evaluate material on the board, but in chess the activity of the pieces is extremely important.
How Much Are the Pieces Worth?
In practice, the pawn is used as the basic unit and is worth 1. A bishop and knight are usually valued at 3 pawns, a rook at 5, and a queen at 9. The king is the most important piece: without the king the game cannot be played, so its value is not expressed numerically.
Pawn1 point
Bishop3 points
Knight3 points
Rook5 points
Queen9 points
Kingpriceless
These values are only guidelines. Everything depends on the position: an active piece can be more valuable than a passive piece with no useful role in the game.
Important: a piece is worth as much as its activity allows.
In a friendly game we may point out that an opponent’s piece is attacked, but in an official tournament players should not talk during the game or disturb the opponent.
Traditional chess expressions: an attack on the king is check, an attack on the queen šeh, an attack on the rook šuh, an attack on the bishop or knight ših, and an attack on a pawn pih.
Pieces and Their Values
Chess Clock – Piece Values
7. When Is a Game Drawn?
A draw does not happen only by agreement between the players. There are several important cases.
| Case | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Stalemate | The player to move is not in check but has no legal move. |
| Draw by Agreement | The players agree to a draw, if the tournament regulations allow it. |
| Threefold Repetition | The same position has appeared, or is about to appear, three times with a correct claim. |
| 50-Move Rule | Both players have made 50 moves without a capture and without moving a pawn. |
| Insufficient Mating Material | Neither side can checkmate even against the opponent’s worst possible play. |
8. Touch-Move and J’adoube
In chess, the rule is simple: think first, then touch the piece.
Touch-Move
When it is your turn, you must be careful. Touching a piece usually means that you have already made your decision.
- If you touch one of your own pieces, you must move it if a legal move exists.
- If you touch an opponent’s piece, you must capture it if the capture is legal.
- Think first, then touch the piece you want to move.
J’adoube / “I Adjust”
If you only want to center a piece on its square, clearly say “I adjust” or “j’adoube” before touching it.
J’adoube comes from the French expression j’adoube, meaning “I adjust.” When this is said before touching the piece, the player is not required to move that piece.
Benko Chess tip: your hand must not be faster than your mind. Find the move in your head first, then move the piece.
9. Chess Clock
The clock is part of tournament chess. Children should learn to use it calmly and correctly. The Benko Chess digital clock can be used for practical training.
Move First, Then Press the Clock
First make the move on the board, then press the clock.
Same Hand
Press the clock with the same hand used to make the move.
Do Not Hit the Clock
Do not hit the clock and do not press it before making a move.
10. Illegal Moves
In a tournament, it is important to know what is not allowed.
King in Check
It is illegal to leave your king in check or make a move that exposes it to attack.
Illegal Castling
Castling is illegal if the king crosses an attacked square or finishes on an attacked square.
Promotion
A pawn that reaches the last rank must immediately be replaced by a piece.
Two Hands
In a tournament, a move is made with one hand. The same hand is used to press the clock.
Pressing the Clock Without Moving
It is not allowed to press the clock without making a move.
What Should You Do?
If you are not sure, calmly stop the clock and call the arbiter.
11. Sportsmanship
A good chess player respects the opponent, the arbiter, the rules and the playing hall.
- Respect your opponent.
- Stay calm at the board.
- Respect the arbiter.
- At the end of the game, shake hands with your opponent when appropriate.
- Do not talk during the game.
- Do not disturb your opponent.
- Do not use a phone.
- Do not comment on other games.
Conclusion: Chess is not only about knowing moves. Chess is also about respectful behavior.
12. Fair Play in Chess
Fair Play means playing honestly, independently and without outside assistance. A victory has real value only when it is earned fairly.
No Phones or Outside Assistance
The use of mobile phones, hidden devices, chess engines or help from other people during a game is strictly prohibited. In a tournament, a player must think independently and make decisions at the board without outside help.
Fair Play Online
The same rule applies online: the moves must be your own. Platforms such as Chess.com use advanced systems to detect unfair play and protect Fair Play.
Benko Chess message: The best chess player is not only the one who knows many moves, but one who plays honestly, respects the opponent and accepts the result with sportsmanship.
13. Recording Moves and Chess Notation
At tournaments, a game is not played only on the board: moves are recorded correctly, the scoresheet is kept, and the arbiter can use it to verify the course of the game.
The Basic Idea of Notation
Chess moves are recorded using algebraic notation. Every square has a coordinate: a file from a to h and a rank from 1 to 8.
King – K, queen – Q, rook – R, bishop – B, knight – N. A pawn is usually written without an initial letter.
Kingside castling: 0-0. Queenside castling: 0-0-0. Check: +. Checkmate: # or the word mate. A capture may be marked with x or a colon :.
The symbol ? marks a weak move, while ! marks a good or excellent move. These symbols are often found in books, analyses and annotated games.
Long Algebraic Notation
In long notation, both the starting and destination squares are written, for example e2-e4 or Ng1-f3.
Example:
1. e2-e4 e7-e5 2. Bf1-c4 d7-d6 3. Ng1-f3 h7-h6 4. Nb1-c3 Bc8-g4?
1. e2-e4 e7-e5 2. Bf1-c4 d7-d6 3. Ng1-f3 h7-h6 4. Nb1-c3 Bc8-g4?
Short Algebraic Notation
In short notation, only the information needed to make the move unambiguous is written: e4, Nf3, Bc4.
Example:
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 d6 3. Nf3 h6 4. Nc3 Bg4?
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 d6 3. Nf3 h6 4. Nc3 Bg4?
Example: Légal’s Mate
Légal’s Mate is a famous short game and a good example for practicing notation, check and checkmate.
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 d6 3. Nf3 h6 4. Nc3 Bg4? 5. N:e5! B:d1? 6. B:f7+ Ke7 7. Nd5#
In this example, the symbol + means check, while # means checkmate.
When Two Pieces Can Move to the Same Square
If two identical pieces can move to the same square, the originating file or rank is added to the notation.
| Situation | Example |
|---|---|
| Two rooks can move to b1 | Rab1 or Rhb1 |
| Two rooks are on the same file | R1a2 or R8a2 |
| Two knights can move to f3 | Ngf3 or Ndf3 |
Chess Scoresheet
In standard chess, players are required to record moves legibly and regularly on a chess scoresheet. The scoresheet helps the player, arbiter and organizer keep the game orderly, clear and verifiable.
When Is Notation Required?
In standard games, moves are recorded on a scoresheet. Each player records both their own moves and the opponent’s moves.
Time Trouble
If a player has less than 5 minutes remaining and no increment of at least 30 seconds per move, the player may stop recording moves during that period.
Completing the Scoresheet
If a player stopped recording because of time trouble, the scoresheet should be completed after that period before play continues.
How Is a Tournament Game Recorded?
In tournaments with a standard time control, players record moves on a chess scoresheet. They record their own moves and the opponent’s moves in order, as clearly and legibly as possible. Each player may use the notation customary in their own country.
Order of Recording
Do not write a move in advance. First make the move, then record it, except in special cases involving a draw claim.
Scoresheet Visible to the Arbiter
The scoresheet should be visible to the arbiter during the game. If you offer a draw, write the symbol next to your move (=).
Assistance with Recording
If a player is unable to record moves, an assistant should do so on the player’s behalf.
End of the Game
At the end of the game, both players check the recorded result and sign the scoresheet.
Submitting the Scoresheet
Players hand their scoresheets to an assistant arbiter or take them to the chief arbiter’s table.
Entering the Result
The arbiter collects the scoresheets, compares the results and enters them in the standings and computer.
Important: a game scoresheet is not merely a formality. It allows the game to be analyzed later, helps verify the result and can resolve disputed situations during a tournament.
Chess Symbols in Literature
Chess literature often uses concise symbols that immediately show what is happening in a position: who stands better, whether there is an attack, who has the initiative, or whether a move is good, dubious or a mistake.
A symbol is not a substitute for thinking; it is a concise aid showing how an annotator evaluates a position or move.
Continue learning: a more detailed overview of the symbols is available on the page Chess Symbols.