Chess

How to Play Chess

The first action you can perform when you play chess online is to move either a pawn or a knight. Knights move in an L-shape: Out two squares and over one. They are the only piece that can jump over other pieces on the chess board. Pawns can only move forward one square at a time. However, on its first move, it can move two squares. Pawns can attack, but only diagonally and in a forward direction.

Bishops move diagonally and can move as many spaces on the chess board as are available. Queens are able to move in any direction and can move as many spaces as are available. Kings can move in any direction, but only one square at a time. Rooks can move forward, backward or sideways, as long as there is space available.

If any opponent piece threatens to take your king, you are placed in “check.” When in check, you must make your king safe with your next move. You may either move your king, or block or capture the threatening piece. Chess is won by placing your opponent’s king in “checkmate.” This simply means that it is impossible for your opponent to move their king to safety (or remove or block the threat) in a single move, and that you have won the chess match.

5 Tips to Improve Your Online Chess

Playing chess games online can be a new and exciting challenge. Whether it’s online chess against computer opponents or with a friend, it’s a great way to train your brain to solve a problem in different conditions. While it can be fun and engaging to play chess online, it can also be incredibly frustrating when you’re just not hitting your stride. Our experts have put together these five helpful tips to help new and veteran chess players improve their game today.

Memorize the Rules

A fundamental part of playing online chess is knowing how each piece moves on the board. Only by being very familiar with the rules can you start developing your own strategy or try out tactics you learn online. The good news is that there aren’t that many pieces, so you can quickly grasp the difference between each piece and start making moves on the board.

Learn to Analyze

Whether you play chess against a computer or a person, a key part of the game is learning to follow each move and analyze what your opponent is doing. So, as you’re playing in your first matches, try to make it a habit to analyze each move by looking at what your opponent has done and trying to guess what they might try to do next. That way, you’ll have a head start and be able to take advantage of the situation.

Allow Yourself to Sacrifice Pieces

It’s easy to see why losing a piece when you play chess online can be frustrating. But while it’s not pleasant, losing pieces is actually a crucial part of winning. By being open to strategically sacrificing pieces, you can lure your opponent into making mistakes and opening up opportunities to take more important pieces from them. So as strange as it seems, losing pieces is actually a vital part of winning!

Learn Opening Strategies

The opening is a key part of online chess, as it sets up your positions for the entire game and creates opportunities for taking the opponent’s pieces later on. For instance, you can try one of the defensive openings, such as getting your bishop and knight out early, as that will allow you to perform a castling move, which is actually two moves at once. With it, you will not only move your king to safety but will also bring your rook to the center, where it can be more useful.

Practice Against a Computer

Finally, you should take advantage of the chess simulator online and play chess against a computer. When you play chess vs. a computer, you can try out different strategies, set up a level of competition you’re comfortable with, and have an opponent ready on-demand and for as long as you want. As you play through the different levels online, you’ll learn how to better control the game's flow and when to create opportunities. While playing against a human player is also important, you will find that getting a few wins in free chess against a computer through a chess game simulator can give you more confidence and get you more accustomed to the online chess game's algorithms.