Chess Online

Play chess online for free on papergames.io: a game of chess for 2 players with a friend, a 1v1 against players from around the world, or chess against the computer. Free chess, right in your browser, with no download and no account needed. Read on for the rules, the board set up, the main openings and a few tips to improve your game.

The Game of Chess

Chess, a game once played only by kings and people of nobility, later became available to people of all classes. Some historians believe chess originated in India, others that it may have originated in China. Eventually, chess caught on in Persia (today's Iran) and then later in Europe. Today chess is played on a table board or online by people all over the world, whatever language they speak.

Play chess online with friends

Click "Play with a friend" and share the game link: your friend joins in one click, and you play chess online 2 player, one on one. Click "Play online" to be matched with another player for a chess 1v1. You can play without a time limit or give each player a clock of 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 60 minutes.

Play chess against the computer

Click "Play vs robot" and choose the robot strength. Each chess bot has its own name and level, from a gentle opponent for beginners up to a strong engine that will test experienced players. Playing the computer at a gradually higher strength is a quick way to practice openings and endgames at any hour.

Chess tournament

Join the daily chess tournament, or organize a private tournament to play chess in a group and share the link with your players. You can choose between leaderboard, round robin, single elimination and double elimination modes. It's an excellent tool for friends, virtual team building, or schools.

Rules of Chess

Check, checkmate and stalemate. The goal of the game is to trap your opponent's king. When a king is attacked, it is in check, and its player must get it out of check on the next move. When the king is in check and no move can save it, this is checkmate, and you have won the game. When a player's king is not in check but that player has no legal move, this is stalemate, and the game is a draw.

The Chess board and start position

The chess board, 8 rows by 8 columns, has a total of 64 squares. The rows, called ranks, are numbered 1-8, starting from White's side of the board. The columns, called files, are marked with the letters a-h. A letter and a number identify every square: White's rook in the bottom left corner stands on a1. Set up the board with a light square in each player's right-hand corner.

Each player begins with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. The rooks go in the corners, then the knights, then the bishops, and the queen stands on her own colour, with the king beside her. The eight pawns fill the row in front. One player uses the white pieces and the other the black pieces, and White always moves first.

How the pieces move on the Chess board

• Pawns: a pawn moves one square forward, or two squares on its first move, and captures one square diagonally forward. See also: pawn promotion.
• King: the king moves one square at a time in any direction.
• Queen: the queen, the most powerful piece, moves any number of squares in any direction.
• Bishop: a bishop moves diagonally over any number of squares, so it always stays on squares of its starting colour.
• Knight: the knight moves in an L shape, two squares in one direction and one to the side, and it is the only piece that can jump over other pieces.
• Rook: the rook moves any number of squares in a straight line, horizontally or vertically. Two rooks working together can be as strong as a queen. See also: castling.

Strategies and tactics

A great way to improve your chess is to play stronger, more experienced players. The more you play, the more you learn, and you can play friends, family members, people from all over the world or the computer.

Control of the center

The center of the board includes the squares e4, e5, d4 and d5 and their surrounding squares. A player who controls the center has greater influence over the whole board.

Opening moves in Chess

White always opens the game. Black's first moves are often called a defense. On the first move, only the pawns and the knights can move: 8 pawns with 2 possible moves each, plus 2 moves for each of the 2 knights, make 20 possible first moves. Here are some of the most popular openings. Moves are written with the square a piece lands on: N stands for knight and B for bishop, so 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 means White's pawn to e4, Black's pawn to e5, then White's knight to f3.

Ruy Lopez (also known as the Spanish Game)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 White develops quickly and can castle early. This opening puts pressure on Black and fights for the center.

King's Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.f4 Although the white king may easily be exposed, this opening can lead to an aggressive, tactical game, and it offers Black many options.

Queen's Gambit

1.d4 d5 2.c4 One of the most popular openings. White offers a pawn to gain the center and space for an attack.

French Defense

1.e4 e6 This opening prepares a sharp counterattack by Black. Black has less space, and the light-squared bishop on the queenside is passive.

Italian Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Both sides play for the center. White can castle quickly, and the bishop on c4 aims at Black's f7 square.

Castling

Castling is a one-time move in which a player moves two pieces at once, the king and one rook. It is allowed only if neither piece has moved yet, there is no piece between them, and the king is not in check and does not pass through or land on an attacked square. In kingside castling the king moves two squares towards the rook on its own side, and the rook jumps to the square the king crossed. Queenside castling uses the other rook, which has three squares to cross instead of two. On papergames.io, select your king and then the square two steps to the side: g1 or c1 for White, g8 or c8 for Black.

Pawn Promotion

When a pawn reaches the last row on the far side of the board, it is promoted. The player chooses what it becomes: a queen, a rook, a bishop or a knight.

When you begin

Chess is a game of good sportsmanship. During a game on papergames.io you can send emojis to your opponent: say hello at the start, and use them to salute a good move or congratulate the winner. Have fun learning and playing chess online on papergames.io, and let the games begin!

Similar games

Chess players might also like Gomoku, a strategy game where you need to connect five pieces on a 15x15 board. If you are looking for a more casual and rapid game, you can go for Tic-Tac-Toe or Connect 4.