How the pieces move

Meet the six pieces one by one: rook, bishop, queen, king, knight and pawn. Move each of them around the board and collect all the stars. This is a basics course with 6 lessons and 18 interactive exercises, suited to players rated around 150 (complete beginners). Every exercise is played on a real board with feedback after each move, there is nothing to install, and it is free.

Lessons in How the pieces move

1. The rook – The rook moves in straight lines: up, down, left or right.
2. The bishop – The bishop moves diagonally.
3. The queen – The queen is the strongest piece: she moves like a rook and a bishop together.
4. The king – The king is the most important piece, but a slow one.
5. The knight – The knight is the trickiest piece: it jumps.
6. The pawn – Pawns are small but brave: they only go forward.

Next steps

• The chessboard – Start from zero: the 64 squares, files and ranks, how every square gets its name, and where each piece stands at the start of a game.
• Capturing pieces – How to take enemy pieces with each of yours, how to spot a free piece, and why you should not grab a protected one with your queen.

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