Controls

You play chess by tapping. Tap one of your pieces and the board shows every square it can legally move to. Tap one of those squares to move there, and if an enemy piece is on it, you capture it. On a computer you can also drag a piece to where you want it.

Each piece moves in its own way, and learning those patterns is most of the game:

• Pawns move forward one square and capture diagonally. If a pawn reaches the far side of the board, it promotes into a stronger piece, almost always a queen.
• Rooks move in straight lines along rows and columns, and they get stronger as the board opens up.
• Bishops move diagonally and stay on one color the whole game.
• Knights jump in an L-shape and can hop over other pieces, which makes them useful when the board is crowded.
• The queen moves in straight lines and diagonals, so it is your strongest attacker.
• The king moves one square at a time. When your king is under attack, it is in check, and you have to get it out of danger before you do anything else.

There is also a move called castling, which moves your king to safety and brings a rook into play in the same turn. You do not need to memorize it yet. Whenever a special move is available, the game shows it to you.

When you beat the computer, the difficulty rises by one level, from Rookie toward Master, so the game keeps matching your skill.

Tips

• Move a center pawn early. Pushing the pawn in front of your king or queen forward gives your other pieces more room and makes it easier to attack on either side of the board.
• Bring out your knights and bishops before you attack. One piece rushing forward is easy to chase away, but several pieces working together are much harder to stop.
• Castle early to protect your king. A king left in the center can be checkmated in just a few moves, so getting it to safety is worth the turn it costs.
• Check whether a square is defended before you move there. Handing your opponent a free piece is the most common way beginners lose, and slowing down for a second prevents it.
• Watch what your opponent's last move threatens. Many mistakes happen when a player looks only at their own plan and misses a simple attack coming back at them.
• Trade pieces when you are ahead. With fewer pieces on the board, a small lead is easier to turn into a win. When you are behind, keep pieces on and look for ways to complicate the game.

Frequently asked questions