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Chess

The king of strategy games, played for over 1,500 years. Two armies battle across 64 squares, each piece moving uniquely, with the ultimate goal of checkmating the opponent's king.

Popularity
#1
2 players
10 minutes to several hours
Very Hard

What You'll Need

🎯 Chess board (8x8 squares)
🔴 32 chess pieces (16 per player)

About This Game

The king of strategy games, played for over 1,500 years. Two armies battle across 64 squares, each piece moving uniquely, with the ultimate goal of checkmating the opponent's king.

How to Play

  1. White moves first, then alternate turns
  2. Each piece type moves differently:
  • King: one square any direction
  • Queen: any distance horizontally, vertically, or diagonally
  • Rook: any distance horizontally or vertically
  • Bishop: any distance diagonally
  • Knight: L-shape (2+1 squares), can jump pieces
  • Pawn: forward one (or two from start), captures diagonally
  1. Capture by moving to opponent's square
  2. Special moves: castling, en passant, pawn promotion
  3. Check: king under attack (must escape)
  4. Checkmate: king cannot escape check = game over
  5. Stalemate (no legal moves, not in check) = draw
  6. Other draws: insufficient material, repetition, 50-move rule

Where to Buy

Buy on Amazon

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Learn More

BoardGameGeek

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Rules & How to Play

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Videos

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Background

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Added about 1 month ago • Updated 22 days ago
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