Don't worry â it's super fun and you can learn it RIGHT NOW! đ
Chess is a game for TWO people. That means you and a friend, or you and a grown-up!
You each get your own army of little pieces đ° â one side is white âŦ and one side is black âŦ.
You take turns moving your pieces on a big checkered board that looks like a giant black-and-white cookie! đĒ
The board has 64 squares. That's a LOT! But don't worry, we don't have to count them all right now. đ
The squares go light, dark, light, dark â like a zebra! đĻ
Each player sits on one end of the board. The bottom-right square in front of you should always be a light square. If it's dark, flip the board! đ
White always goes FIRST! (Just like white goes before black in the alphabet! A-B-C-D... âŦ before âŦ!)
Then black goes. Then white again. Then black. You keep taking TURNS â just like sharing! đ¤
You can only touch YOUR pieces. No sneaky grabbing! đ
Tap any piece on the board below. They want to say hello! đ
Every piece has a special job. Like superheroes!
The King is the BOSS! If someone catches your King, the game is OVER. Keep him safe! đ
The Queen is like a SUPERHERO! She can zoom anywhere â sideways, forwards, backwards, diagonally! She's super strong! đĒ
The Rook looks like a little castle! đ° It can zoom all the way across the board â but only in straight lines. No zigzags!
The Bishop wears a pointy hat and only walks on diagonal (corner-to-corner) squares! One Bishop only ever touches light squares, the other only dark! đŠ
The Knight is a HORSE đ´ and it can JUMP over other pieces! It moves in an "L" shape â like the letter L! Two squares one way, then one square sideways. Weeee!
Pawns are the tiny soldiers! đļ They usually move ONE step forward, but on their very first move they can go TWO steps! And they capture diagonally. Sneaky!
If your piece lands where an enemy piece is â poof! đĨ That piece is gone! Pick it up and put it off the board.
Two pieces can NEVER be on the same square at the same time (except the Knight jumping over!). Only ONE piece per square.
If someone aims a piece AT your King, you have to say "Check!" The King must get out of danger RIGHT NOW!
When the King is in danger AND can't escape ANYWHERE â that's "Checkmate!" The game is OVER and that player wins! đ
Win or lose, shake hands and say "Good game!" đ¤ That's what chess players do. Being kind matters MORE than winning!
Chess is a thinking game! Before you move, ask yourself: "Will this help me? Will this put my King in danger?" Think like a smarty! đ§
Here's the COOLEST thing! If your little Pawn walks ALL the way to the other side of the board â it turns into ANY piece you want! đą
Most people turn it into a Queen, because she's the strongest! This is called "Promotion" â like leveling up in a video game! đŽâŦī¸
So your tiny little Pawn can become a SUPER QUEEN. Never give up on your Pawns! đĒ
Once in the game, the King can do a special magic move with the Rook (castle)! They SWAP â the King hops two squares toward the Rook, and the Rook jumps over to the other side!
This helps hide the King behind a cozy wall of Pawns. Like pulling up the drawbridge on a real castle! đĄī¸
But it only works if neither piece has moved yet AND no pieces are in the way!
Two players take turns â White goes first! Click a piece to see where it can move, then click a green dot to move there. If the King is in danger, it turns red! đŦ
You just learned the rules of one of the GREATEST games ever invented! Millions of kids (and grown-ups!) love chess. Now go find someone to play with!
Remember: every chess master was once a beginner â just like you! đ