Play chess online with friends, free

How to play chess

1. Each side has 16 pieces: a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. Colours are drawn at random each game, and White moves first.
2. Rooks move straight along rows and columns, bishops diagonally, and the queen both ways, as far as the path is clear. The king steps one square in any direction.
3. The knight jumps in an L: two squares one way, then one to the side. It is the only piece that jumps over others.
4. Pawns step one square forward, or two from their starting square, and capture one square diagonally forward.
5. Capture by moving onto an enemy piece's square. You may never make a move that leaves your own king under attack.
6. When your king is attacked it is check: move the king, block the attack or capture the attacker.
7. Checkmate the other king, so it is in check with no way out, and you win.

Special moves and how a game ends

• Castling: the king moves two squares towards a rook and the rook jumps over it, if neither has moved, the squares between them are empty, and the king is not in check and doesn't cross or land on an attacked square.
• En passant: if an enemy pawn moves two squares and lands beside your pawn, you may capture it as if it had moved one, but only on the very next move.
• Promotion: a pawn that reaches the last row becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight, as you choose.
• You win by checkmate, when your opponent resigns, or when your opponent's clock runs out.
• Draws: stalemate (no legal move and not in check), the same position three times, 50 moves each with no capture or pawn move, or too few pieces left for either side to mate. These end the game automatically.
• If your time runs out while your opponent has only a king, or a king with one bishop, one knight or two knights, the game is a draw instead of a loss.
• Draw offers: attach one to your move, up to 3 times a game. Your opponent accepts on their turn, or declines simply by moving.

Chess in Rayoosh

• One on one, standard rules, and a clock for each player with no time added per move.
• Quick: 5 minutes each, a game of up to about 10 minutes. Full: 10 minutes each, up to about 20 minutes.
• Pearls by result: 30 for a Quick win and 50 for a Full win (5 and 8 for the other player), 18 or 29 each for a draw, and a big-win bonus for checkmate within 25 of your moves. Never bought, never cashed out.
• Tap a piece to see where it can go. Your clock turns red under 30 seconds, and the pieces you've captured show beside each clock with the material count.
• After the game, copy the full move list (PGN) or ask for a rematch.
• Works on phones, tablets, computers and TVs: with a remote, the arrow keys move around the board and OK picks up and drops a piece. In Arabic, English and Hindi.

Tips to win at chess

• Take the centre early with pawns and pieces, and bring out your knights and bishops before your queen.
• Castle early to keep your king safe.
• Before every move, ask what your opponent's last move attacks.
• Don't leave pieces unprotected: count attackers and defenders before you capture.
• Watch your clock: in a 5-minute game, a good move played in time beats a perfect one played too late.
• When you are ahead, trade pieces and keep your pawns: a king with a single bishop or knight can't checkmate.

Play chess with friends

Create a private table, share the link in your chat, show the QR code or read out the room code, and your friend joins in seconds with no download.

• No friend online? The computer takes the other seat, any time.
• Text chat with quick phrases, voice chat, emotes and gifts at the table.
• A short lesson and practice games against the computer, any time.
• Once Rayoosh is installed, you can play the computer even without internet, with no clock.