Play Chess Online Free
5 levels from Beginner to Expert · Works on mobile & desktop · No download
Chess is the world’s most popular strategy board game, played by hundreds of millions of people. Two players each command an army of sixteen pieces (a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns), and the goal is to checkmate the opponent’s king. Our free online chess lets you play against a computer opponent at five levels, from Beginner (perfect if you are just learning) to Expert (a real challenge for club players), or against a friend on the same device.
Chess is free to play on PlayQuestHQ with no download and no sign-up. It works on phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
Move list
Tap a piece, then a highlighted square. Full rules: castling, en passant, promotion (choose your piece), check, checkmate and stalemate. Five computer levels from Beginner to Expert, or play a friend on the same device.
How to Play Chess
- Choose a computer level from Beginner to Expert, or 2 Players to play a friend on the same device. You can play as White or Black.
- Tap a piece to see its legal moves, then tap a highlighted square to move.
- All official rules are included: castling, en passant, promotion (you choose the new piece), check, checkmate, stalemate, threefold repetition and the 50-move rule.
- Stuck? Press Hint for a suggested move, or Undo to take your last move back.
- Checkmate the enemy King to win. Open the Move list to review the game.
Controls
Click a piece, then click a highlighted square.
Tap a piece, then tap a highlighted square.
Tips to Win
- Control the centre squares (d4, d5, e4, e5) early in the game.
- Develop your knights and bishops before moving your queen out.
- Castle early to keep your king safe.
- Before every move, check what your opponent is threatening.
Chess Board Setup at a Glance
Every game starts from the same setup: 16 pieces per player on an 8 by 8 board of 64 squares. Set it up in under a minute with the table below.
| Board | 8 by 8 squares. The bottom right corner on your side must be a light square: white on right. |
|---|---|
| White | Back rank pieces on rank 1, eight pawns on rank 2. |
| Black | Back rank pieces on rank 8, eight pawns on rank 7. |
| Back rank order | Rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook, from corner to corner. |
| Queens | Each queen starts on a square of her own colour: the white queen on a light square, the black queen on a dark square. |
| Kings | The kings start on e1 and e8, facing each other on the same file. |
| First move | White always moves first. |
How Each Chess Piece Moves
- King: one square in any direction.
- Queen: any number of squares in a straight line or diagonal.
- Rook: any number of squares along a row or column.
- Bishop: any number of squares diagonally, always on one colour.
- Knight: in an L shape, two squares one way and one square sideways. It is the only piece that can jump over others.
- Pawn: one square forward, or two on its first move. It captures one square diagonally forward.
Special Moves: Castling, En Passant and Promotion
Three moves break the movement pattern: castling, en passant and pawn promotion. Each one has strict conditions.
- Castling: the king and one rook move together. The king steps two squares toward the rook and the rook jumps to the square beside it. It is legal only if neither piece has moved, the squares between them are empty, and the king is not in check and does not cross or land on an attacked square.
- En passant: if an enemy pawn advances two squares from its start square and lands beside your pawn, you may capture it on your very next move as if it had moved one square only. Wait a move and the chance is gone.
- Promotion: a pawn that reaches the far end of the board must be swapped at once for a queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same colour. Most players take a queen, but a knight is sometimes the better choice.
How a Chess Game Can End
A chess game ends as a win for one player or as a draw. Two results give the win and five give the draw.
- Checkmate: the king is in check with no legal move, block or capture to escape. The player who gives it wins.
- Resignation: a player who sees no way back can resign, and the opponent wins at once.
- Stalemate: the player to move is not in check but has no legal move. The game is drawn, even if one side is far ahead on pieces.
- Draw by agreement: both players agree to end the game as a draw.
- Threefold repetition: if the same position appears three times in a game, the player to move can claim a draw.
- Fifty-move rule: if fifty moves by each player pass with no pawn move and no capture, a draw can be claimed.
- Insufficient material: some endings can never produce checkmate, such as king against king, and the game is drawn.
Simple Checkmate Patterns to Learn First
Most beginner games are won with a few repeating patterns. The back rank mate happens when a king is trapped behind its own pawns and a rook or queen checks it on the last row. The queen and king mate uses your king to support the queen right next to the enemy king. Scholar's mate attacks the weak f7 square early with the queen and bishop, so defend f7 (or f2 as White) in the opening. Try spotting these against the Beginner and Easy levels before you move up.
Good to Know
How do the five chess levels differ?
The five levels differ in playing strength: Beginner makes plenty of mistakes so you can practise basic tactics, and each level above it looks further ahead before moving. Expert punishes loose pieces and weak king safety. Move up one level once you win most games.
Can I play chess against a friend here?
Yes, you can play a friend on the same device by choosing 2 Players. You both play on the same phone, tablet or computer, taking turns. The board does not flip, so sit on opposite sides or pass the device between moves.
How do you read chess notation?
Chess notation gives every square a name made of a file letter from a to h and a rank number from 1 to 8. Moves use a piece letter plus the landing square: Nf3 is a knight to f3, e4 is a pawn to e4, O-O is castling, x is a capture and # is checkmate.
Is chess free to play here?
Yes, chess on PlayQuestHQ is completely free, with no download and no sign-up. Open the page and the board is ready at once. Play the computer at five levels or a friend on the same device, on phone, tablet or computer.
Can I get a hint or take a move back?
Yes, press Hint during a game for a suggested move, or press Undo to take your last move back. Both are handy while you learn: check the hint before you move, and use undo after a blunder to try a better idea from the same position.
Is my Chess progress saved?
Your best scores are saved in your own browser on this device. Clearing your browser data will reset them.