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Classic Chess rules

Standard starting position

Overview

Classic Chess is standard 8×8 chess on SkillGames. Pieces move as in international chess; White moves first. Every move is validated on the server.

Objective

Checkmate your opponent's king. You can also win by resignation or timeout. Draws occur when neither player can force a win.

Game setup

White pieces occupy ranks 1–2; Black ranks 7–8. The view shows the standard opening array: rooks on corners, knights next, bishops inside, queen on her colour, king on the remaining centre square, pawns one rank forward.

Pawn move e2–e4

How to make moves

On your turn, click a piece to highlight legal destinations, then click a square (or drag). The move list records standard algebraic notation.

Piece movement

  • Pawn — forward one; two from start; diagonal capture; promotes on the back rank
  • Knight — L-shape; may jump
  • Bishop — diagonally any distance
  • Rook — horizontally or vertically any distance
  • Queen — rook + bishop combined
  • King — one square any direction

Special moves

  • Castling — king and rook move together (O-O / O-O-O) when legal
  • En passant — immediate pawn capture after a two-square advance
  • Promotion — pawn becomes queen, rook, bishop, or knight

Winning, losing, and draws

  • Checkmate — win
  • Stalemate — draw
  • Insufficient material and other engine-recognised draws

Edge cases

Check

You must escape check; moving into check is illegal.

Ratings

Completed Classic Chess matches update your Elo rating.

Replay

Step through the full move list after the game.