Guide by Chess Cheat Sheets | chesscheatsheets.com
How To Play Chess - Cheat Sheet And Walkthrough Guide
Chess is an awesome game played by people around the world, but sometimes it can be a bit tricky getting to grips with all the different pieces, concepts, and strategies.
But no need to worry! You'll find all the basic information you need on this page.
For best understanding, click the link below to access our "How To Play Chess - Cheat Sheet". No catch, no cost, no email.
How To Play Chess: Cheat Sheet Guide Overview
Here's a quick overview of all the information contained in this guide:
- Board Setup
- Piece Movement
- Playing The Game
- Ending The Game
- Special Pawn Moves
- Castling
Each section has its own cheat sheet, accessed as either an image or as a larger free cheat sheet document found by clicking the link at the start of this page.
How To Set Up The Board In Chess - Follow Our Cheat Sheet
Completely new to chess and wondering how to set up the board properly? Use this cheat sheet!
You'll find where all of the different pieces go and examples of what the board looks like at any point. Within this page of the cheat sheet, you'll see where to position each of the 6 pieces when setting up the board.
To prepare the board for a game of chess, you need to place the pieces to follow the image found in the guide (basic chess board setup). Ensure the bottom-right square is White so that the pieces get set up correctly.
Then your pieces go in this order:
- Your King, which goes in the center on its opposing colour
- Your Queen, which goes in the center next to the King on its same colour
- Your Bishops, which go outside the King and Queen
- Your Knights, which go outside the Bishops
- Your Rooks, which go next to the Knights in the corners
- Your Pawns, which fill in the rank in front of your pieces
When starting a game, each board should contain:
- 16 Pawns, 8 for White and 8 for Black
- 4 Rooks, 2 for White and 2 for Black
- 4 Knights, 2 for White and 2 for Black
- 4 Bishops, 2 for White and 2 for Black
- 2 Queens, 1 for White and 1 for Black
- 2 Kings, 1 for White and 1 for Black
Chess Piece Movement
How Each Of The Different Chess Pieces Move
This part of the chess cheat sheet gives you a clear overview of how all the different pieces in chess move on the board. Each chess piece has a specific, unique way of moving and interacting with the board and other pieces on the board.
Understanding how the pieces move is critical to being able to play chess. Otherwise, you’d be breaking the rules!
Here’s how each piece moves and interacts with other pieces and the board. Note that the cheat sheet linked above contains visual diagrams of the squares each piece can move.
How the King moves
The most important piece in the game, without the King, you lose! The King can move only one square in any direction, as long as it’s not putting itself into harm (more on that later).
How the Queen moves
The Queen is the most powerful piece in the game. It can move any number of squares in any direction, like a Rook and Bishop combined!
How the Bishop moves
The Bishop can move as many squares as it wants diagonally. Each player has two Bishops, one on each colour square, so you’ll start with a Bishop that can move on Black squares and one on White squares.
How the Knight moves
The Knight is a fun piece that can jump over other pieces in an “L” shape; two squares in one direction, one square in another. It’s one of the only pieces you can move at the start of the game.
How the Rook moves
The Rook can move as many squares as it wants in horizontal or vertical directions. It starts the game locked in, so you’ll usually have to make a few moves before you can use it.
How Pawns moves
Pawns are simple yet powerful. On their first move, they can move either one or two squares. After that, they can only move one square. They can only attack diagonally. More info later on.
How To Actually Play Chess - Cheat Sheet
How To Start Playing Chess
Now that you've set up the board and know how all the pieces work, it's time to actually play!
But what other information do you need to know? Find out in this part of the chess cheat sheet!
Now that you know how each of the pieces move, it’s time to learn the core concepts when playing the game. Players take turns to move a piece, and are able to move any piece of their own that they want, so long as it is a legal move as shown earlier.
The First Move
White is always the first player to move in chess. On turn 1, White can move any of the 8 Pawns or either of the 2 Knights. Typically, the best first move is 1. e4
Taking Pieces
After Black’s move, White can now take pieces. A player can take a piece by legally moving one of their pieces onto a square that is occupied by an opponent’s piece.
Check
If a King is being attacked by another piece that is threatening to take it, it’s called “check”. It’s a warning to let the player know they are being attacked and must respond or lose.
Escaping Check (Method 1)
The first way to escape a check is by simply moving the King out of check. This means that the King is no longer threatened by that piece, and so the game is safe to continue.
Escaping Check (Method 2)
The second way to escape check is by blocking the check with another piece, effectively shielding the King from the attack.
Escaping Check (Method 3)
The third way to escape check is by capturing the piece that is threatening the check.
How You Finish A Game Of Chess
How Do You Actually Win, Lose, Or Draw?
At some point, your game of chess is going to come to an end. But how do you determine who wins and if it's a draw This cheat sheet will tell you exactly that!
There are 3 possible ways that a game of chess can end. Either White wins, Black wins, or the game ends in a draw.
There are also 3 ways that a player can win a game: Checkmate, Resignation, or Flagging (running out of time).
There are 5 ways in which a game can result in a draw, which will be covered in more detail below. These are: Draw by agreement, Stalemate, Threefold repetition, having insufficient material, and the fifty-move rule.
Checkmate
Checkmate is the most common way that chess games are won. Here, you’ve delivered a check, but your opponent’s King has no legal moves so they lose the game.
Draw By Agreement
At any point in the game, either player can offer a draw. This is common when positions are relatively even and no side has a clear advantage. If agreed, the game is a draw.
Stalemate
A stalemate occurs when a player has no legal moves left to play, but isn’t threatened by a check or checkmate. A common mistake new players make is triggering stalemate from a winning position.
Threefold Repetition
A draw can be triggered when the same board position is repeated three times, not necessarily in a row. This often happens when players don’t want to make a given move for whatever reason, but can be used to claim a draw from a losing position..
Insufficient Material
If there aren’t enough pieces on the board for one side to force a checkmate, such as only having two Kings, then the game is drawn by insufficient material.
Fifty-Move Rule
The final way to draw a game is rare, but happens when fifty turns have passed where neither player has captured a piece or moved a pawn.
Special Pawn Moves Explained In Chess - Cheat Sheet
What Are The Special Moves In Chess?
Don't let the Pawn's seemingly weak movement and attack deceive you... they have some unique moves and can even become other pieces!
Use this chess cheat sheet to see all the special moves a Pawn piece can make.
Pawns may seem like the weakest piece on the board, but they actually have some specific moves that can make them powerful. Let’s break them down here.
En Passant
En Passant is a special rule in chess that allows pawns to capture without taking the square the opposing Pawn is on. To do this, your opponent must first move their Pawn two places.
Taking The Pawn
If your Pawn is now next to the Pawn they moved, you can now capture diagonally behind their Pawn using En Passant. Your Pawn lands behind the square the opponent’s Pawn was on.
Pawn Promotion
If a Pawn fully reaches the opponent’s side of the board, it can be ‘promoted’ into a better piece. The piece you choose will depend on the state of the board.
Queen Promotion
You’re almost always going to want to promote to a Queen, given it’s the most powerful piece in the game. But, there are some situations in which doing so would result in stalemate, so...
Under Promotion
Under promotion is used to prevent the game from entering stalemate, or to give a more advantageou piece for a given position, such as a Knight.
Chess Castling - Cheat Sheet
What Is Castling And How To Castle In Chess
One of the special moves you can learn to take your chess to the next level while defending your King is the castle. When you castle, the King moves towards the corner and the Rook swaps sides with it, both protecting the King and bringing the Rook into the game.
It's a very powerful move. Learn how to do it in this cheat sheet!
Castling is the last special move you need to know about before you’re ready to jump into a game! Castle is a defensive moved used to protect your King and bring your Rook into the game in a single move. It can be performed on either the Kingside or Queenside and has a few requirements.
Kingside Castle
When you castle Kingside, the King moves two squares towards the corner, and the Rook moves over the King and lands next to it. As long as you haven’t moved either piece this game, you can castle at any time. Once you’ve moved either the King or Rook you plan to castle however, you can no longer castle.
Queenside Castle
The same is true of Queenside castling. Here, the King again moves 2 squares towards the corner and the Rook jumps over, but both are closer to the center of the board. Queenside castling can leave your King more exposed but be useful when you want to bring your Rook into a more central position, or when you can’t castle Kingside for whatever reason.
Castling Rules
Aside from not having moved your castle pieces as mentioned before, you can only castle when you’re 1) not in check and 2) not moving into or through check. In this image, neither side can currently castle since Bishops are attacking squares needed for castling.
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Chess Homework For Students
How much to set, what to set, and how to check it without eating your evenings.
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One theme at a time, with a lesson structure you can adapt: show, ask, vary, apply.
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How To Play Chess - FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
How does each chess piece move?
Each chess piece has unique movement patterns:
- The King moves one square in any direction.
- The Queen moves any number of squares diagonally, horizontally, or vertically.
- Rooks move any number of squares horizontally or vertically.
- Bishops move any number of squares diagonally.
- Knights move in an L-shape: two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicular to that direction.
- Pawns move forward one square at a time, with the option to move two squares on their first move.
What is castling in chess?
Castling is a special move involving your king and either rook. It's the only time you can move two pieces in one turn. The king moves two squares toward the rook, and the rook moves to the square the king crossed over. This can only be done if neither piece has moved before, there are no pieces between them, and the king is not in check or moving through check.
How do you win a game of chess?
You win a chess game by checkmate - when your opponent's king is in check (under attack) and has no legal moves to escape. Games can also end in a draw through stalemate, mutual agreement, threefold repetition, or the fifty-move rule.
What is en passant in chess?
En passant is a special pawn capture that can occur when a pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position and lands beside an enemy pawn. The opposing pawn can capture it by moving diagonally to the square the pawn passed through, as if the pawn had only moved one square.
How should I start learning chess?
Start by learning the basic rules and how each piece moves. Then focus on fundamental principles: control the center, develop your pieces early, protect your king, and understand basic checkmate patterns. Using chess cheat sheets and practicing regularly will help you improve faster.
Browse By Game Phase
What's Your Weakness?
Pick the part of your game that costs you the most points. For many players that's tactics or endgames, with openings coming after.
- Openings
Start Strong
Know your first ten moves and build a solid game plan
- Middlegames
Control The Board
Spot tactics faster and stop dropping pieces
- Endgames
Actually Win
Convert your winning positions and save half points
