Everything you need to know — from how each piece moves to the tactics that separate beginners from masters.
Your journey starts here
Chess is played on an 8x8 board with 64 squares alternating between light and dark colours. The board is always set up so that each player has a light-coloured square in the bottom-right corner.
Each player starts with 16 pieces: one King, one Queen, two Rooks, two Bishops, two Knights, and eight Pawns. White always moves first.
The goal is simple but endlessly deep: checkmate your opponent's King. That means putting it under attack with no way to escape. Every rule, every tactic, every strategy in chess serves this single objective.
Each piece has its own personality, strengths, and weaknesses. Understanding how they move — and how much they are worth — is the foundation of everything in chess.
Pawns move forward one square at a time. They are the only piece that cannot move backwards. Despite their simplicity, pawns form the backbone of every chess position.
The Knight moves in an "L" shape: two squares in one direction then one square perpendicular, or one square then two perpendicular. From a central square, a Knight can reach up to eight different squares. This unique movement makes Knights tricky and unpredictable.
The Bishop glides any number of squares diagonally, as long as nothing blocks its path. From a central position, a Bishop can control two long diagonals, potentially influencing up to 13 squares at once.
The Rook moves any number of squares horizontally or vertically, as long as nothing blocks its path. Rooks are most powerful on open files (columns with no pawns) and open ranks, where they can exert maximum pressure.
The Queen combines the power of the Rook and Bishop — it can move any number of squares horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. This makes it the most powerful piece on the board, capable of controlling vast swathes of territory from a single square.
The King moves one square in any direction — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. While it may seem limited, the King is the most important piece on the board. If your King is checkmated, the game is over. Protecting your King is your number one priority.
The only move in chess where two pieces move at once. Castling is essential for King safety and Rook activation — but it comes with several important conditions.
The King moves two squares towards the h-Rook, and the Rook jumps to the other side of the King. This is the most common form of castling — it tucks the King safely behind pawns while activating the Rook. In notation, it is written as O-O.
How games are won, lost, and drawn. Understanding these concepts is the difference between finishing off a winning position and accidentally letting it slip away.
When a piece directly attacks the enemy King, that King is "in check." The player whose King is in check MUST deal with it on their very next move. You can never ignore a check or leave your King in check.
Tactics are the sharp, concrete sequences that win material or deliver checkmate. Recognising these patterns instantly is what separates club players from beginners.
One piece attacks two or more enemies simultaneously
The Knight fork is one of the most feared tactics in chess. Because Knights move in an unusual pattern, their forks are hard to see coming. Here, the Knight on e6 attacks both the Black King and the Rook on c8 simultaneously. The King must move, and the Rook is lost.
A piece is stuck in place because moving it would expose something more valuable
An absolute pin is when a piece cannot legally move because it would expose its own King to check. Here, the Knight on e6 is pinned by the Bishop on c4 — if the Knight moves, the King on g8 would be in check. The Knight is completely frozen in place. Absolute pins are the strongest type of pin because the pinned piece literally cannot move.
The reverse of a pin — the more valuable piece is in front
A skewer is like a pin in reverse — the more valuable piece is attacked first and must move, exposing the less valuable piece behind it. Here, the Bishop on b1 attacks the King on d3 along the diagonal. The King must move, and then the Bishop captures the Rook on f5.
Moving one piece reveals an attack from another
When you move a piece and reveal a check from a piece behind it, that is a discovered check. Here, the Knight moves from e4 to f6 — and the Rook on e1 is now checking the King on e8. The beauty of discovered checks is that the piece you move is essentially "free" to go anywhere, including capturing an enemy piece, because the opponent must deal with the check first.
Chess games can end in a draw in five different ways. Knowing these is essential — both for saving lost positions and avoiding accidental draws when you are winning.
When a player has no legal moves and is NOT in check, the game is drawn by stalemate. This is one of the most important defensive resources — if you are losing badly, try to reach a position where your opponent accidentally stalemates you!
In competitive chess, each player has a set amount of time to make all their moves. If your time runs out, you lose.
1–2 min
Lightning fast. Pure instinct and pattern recognition.
3–5 min
The most popular format online. Fast but with time to think.
10–30 min
Enough time for deep calculation and strategic planning.
Many games also include an increment — a few seconds added to your clock after each move. For example, "5+3" means 5 minutes per player with a 3-second increment per move.
The four central squares (d4, d5, e4, e5) are the most important on the board. Pieces in the centre control more squares and are more flexible.
Get your Knights and Bishops out early. Each move should contribute to developing a new piece or improving one you have already placed.
Castle within the first 10 moves to get your King to safety and connect your Rooks. A King stuck in the centre is a target.
In the opening, avoid moving the same piece multiple times. Each tempo (turn) is precious — use it to develop a new piece.
Before every move, ask yourself: what is my opponent threatening? This one habit will immediately reduce the number of pieces you blunder.
The fastest way to improve is to analyse your games after you play them. Use the Sacrifice.pro analysis tools to see where you went wrong.
Put your knowledge into practice. Join Sacrifice.pro and compete in tournaments with real prizes — from casual blitz to professional rapid events.