FIDE Official Chess Guide

Chess Rules & Piece Movement

Learn how every piece moves, special rules like castling and en passant, and conditions for checkmate and draws.

Piece Movement & Values

The Pawn

Moves forward 1 square (or 2 squares on its very first move). Captures diagonally 1 square forward. Can execute en passant and promote on the 8th rank.

1 Point (Base material)

Strategic Tips & Principles:

  • •Pawns can never move backward.
  • •When a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board, it immediately promotes into a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight.
  • •Pawn chains create resilient fortresses for your pieces.

1. Castling

A simultaneous move of the King and Rook. The King moves two squares toward the Rook, and the Rook hops over to the King’s adjacent square.

Requirements: Neither King nor Rook has moved; no pieces between them; King cannot be in check or pass through check.

2. En Passant

If an opponent advances a pawn two squares forward and lands directly adjacent to your pawn, you can capture it diagonally behind as if it had only moved one square.

Timing: Must be played immediately on the very next turn, otherwise the right is lost.

3. Pawn Promotion

When a pawn advances all the way to the 8th rank (for White) or 1st rank (for Black), it transforms into a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight.

Most Common: Promoting to a Queen ("Queening"), though underpromoting to a Knight can prevent stalemates.

Game End Conditions: Checkmate vs Draw

Checkmate (Win / Loss)

The King is attacked in check, and there is no legal move to escape the attack: the King cannot move to a safe square, cannot block the checking line, and the checking piece cannot be captured.

Stalemate (Draw)

The player whose turn it is has no legal moves available, but their King is not in check. The game ends in an immediate draw.

Threefold Repetition

If the exact same board position occurs 3 times with the same player to move and the same legal moves, the game is declared a draw.

Fifty-Move Rule

If 50 consecutive turns occur without a single pawn move or a piece capture, either player can claim a draw.