How to Play Chess - A Complete Beginner's Guide
Everything you need to know to sit down and play your very first game of chess, explained simply and without jargon.
Published 2026-02-01 | Last verified 2026-02-12
Professor Archer says: I did not learn chess until I was forty years old. Forty. I remember staring at the board thinking I had waited too long, that everyone else already knew some secret I had missed. They did not. Chess is remarkably learnable at any age, and the board does not care how old you are when you sit down for the first time. I am living proof of that.
Setting Up the Board
The chessboard is an eight-by-eight grid of alternating light and dark squares, sixty-four squares in total. The first thing to get right is orientation: each player should have a light-colored square in the bottom-right corner. A simple way to remember this is the phrase "light on the right."
The back row, closest to each player, holds the major and minor pieces. From left to right for White, the order is: rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook. The queen always starts on a square that matches her color - the white queen on a light square, the black queen on a dark square. This is often called "queen on her color."
The row directly in front of your pieces is filled with eight pawns. That is your entire army: eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, one queen, and one king. Sixteen pieces per side, thirty-two pieces on the board. Once everything is in place, White always makes the first move. Do not worry about memorizing all of this at once - after a few games, setup becomes automatic.
How Each Piece Moves
Each chess piece has its own way of moving, and learning these movements is the foundation of everything else. The king moves one square in any direction - up, down, left, right, or diagonally. He is the most important piece but also the slowest. The queen is the most powerful piece, combining the movements of the rook and bishop - she can move any number of squares in any straight line.
Rooks move in straight lines along rows and columns, covering as many squares as they like until blocked. Bishops move diagonally, also covering unlimited distance along their diagonals. Knights are unique: they move in an L-shape - two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicular - and they are the only piece that can jump over others.
Pawns are the foot soldiers. They move forward one square at a time, except on their very first move when they may advance two squares. Pawns capture differently from how they move: they take opposing pieces one square diagonally forward. Do not rush to memorize every detail. Play a few practice games, and the movements will start to feel natural surprisingly quickly.
Special Rules You Should Know
Chess has a few special rules that often surprise beginners, but they are easy to learn. Castling is a move that lets you tuck your king into safety while activating your rook - you move the king two squares toward a rook, and the rook hops to the other side. You can only castle if neither the king nor that rook has moved yet, if the squares between them are empty, and if the king is not in check or passing through check.
En passant is a special pawn capture. If an opponent advances a pawn two squares from its starting position and lands beside your pawn, you can capture it as if it had only moved one square. This must be done immediately on the very next move or the opportunity disappears.
Pawn promotion happens when a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board. It transforms into any piece you choose - usually a queen, since she is the most powerful. And finally, the game ends in checkmate when a king is in check and has no legal way to escape. That is the ultimate goal: checkmate your opponent's king.
Your First Few Moves
You do not need to memorize any openings to play your first game. Instead, follow three simple principles that will serve you well. First, move a center pawn forward on your first move. Playing the pawn in front of your king or queen two squares forward opens lines for your pieces and stakes a claim in the center of the board.
Second, develop your knights and bishops early. Bring them off the back row and toward the center where they can influence the game. Knights usually head to f3 and c3 for White, or f6 and c6 for Black. Bishops should find open diagonals where they can see across the board.
Third, castle early to protect your king. Once you have moved your knight and bishop out of the way on the kingside, castle to tuck your king behind a wall of pawns. These three principles - control the center, develop your pieces, and castle early - will give you a solid foundation. You will make mistakes, and that is perfectly fine. Mistakes are how you learn, and every single chess player who ever lived started exactly where you are right now.
Questions Every Beginner Asks
Am I too old to start learning chess?
Absolutely not. Chess is one of the few games where age is genuinely not a barrier to enjoyment and improvement. Adults often learn faster than children because they can understand strategic concepts more deeply. Many of our most engaged students started after fifty.
How long will it take before I can play a decent game?
Most people can play a comfortable, enjoyable game after just a few hours of learning the basics and playing a handful of practice games. You will not be a master, but you will understand what is happening and make intentional decisions. That is more than enough.
Do I need to be good at math or strategy games to learn chess?
Not at all. Chess uses pattern recognition far more than mathematical calculation. If you can recognize faces, you can learn chess patterns. The idea that chess requires unusual intelligence is a myth that keeps too many people from trying.
What if I lose every game at first?
You almost certainly will lose your first several games, and that is completely normal. Every player in history went through this phase. Losing is not a sign that chess is not for you - it is a sign that you are learning. Each loss teaches you something a win cannot.
Professor Archer says: You have just read everything you need to play your first game. Not your best game - your first game. And that is all that matters right now. Every grandmaster in history played a clumsy, confused first game. The difference between them and someone who never improved is simple: they played a second game. Go play yours.
Quick Quiz
When setting up the chessboard, where does the white queen start?
- On the d1 square, which is a light square (Correct) - Correct! The queen always starts on a square that matches her color. The white queen goes on the light square, and the black queen goes on the dark square. This is the "queen on her color" rule.
- On the e1 square next to the king - The e1 square is where the white king starts. The queen is placed next to the king, but on the d1 square so she is on her matching color.
- Anywhere on the back row you prefer - Each piece has a specific starting position. The queen always begins on d1 for White and d8 for Black, matching her color.
- On a dark square in the center of the back row - The white queen starts on a light square, not a dark one. Remember: queen on her color. White queen on a light square, black queen on a dark square.