Chess Board Online
Play online chess games for free, no download: Internet chess games against the computer or a person online or with a friend on the same screen. Online board games for PC, Mac, iPad, tablet, virtual chess/ flash simulation games for kids (girls & boys), teens, adults. Buy Finest Quality handcrafted chess pieces, chess boards and chess sets made from premium quality wood, metal, stone with worldwide shipping. Our sets are made with heirloom quality craftsmanship by our master carvers who love what they do.
- Our online chess game also features an opening database created by analysing 145,000 games from international tournaments. There are 4 different board styles (a 2D diagram, two fixed 3D designs and a 3D rotatable board) to suit any style - from the playful kid to the serious tournament player.
- Every chess diagram on the Internet should be interactive in the following ways: One can generate the FEN of the position that is shown on the diagram. One can generate the PGN of the game fragment of an animated diagram. One can easily start an interface that allows making moves on the chessboard to study the position by analysis.
- Play Chess games online, free chess board game for kids, no download - Chess Maniac is a classic chess game online against the computer or another person. You Good Things Happen Daily!
Chess Sets and Chess Pieces of all shapes, sizes, and materials
| Staunton Chess Sets and Chess Pieces | Theme Chess Sets and Chess Pieces |
|---|---|
| With hundreds of chess pieces and chess boards, it is often difficult to decide which chess set and pieces are right for you. Our experts have taken a selection of the exclusive 'Mark of Westminster' chess pieces and chess boards and combined them to make chess sets ideal for both display and play. | There are chess sets for almost any theme you can imagine, from American history chess sets to fantasy chess sets. Some come with both the chess board and pieces, but many allow you to customize to find the perfect theme or artistic chess set. We offer recommended options for the right board for your pieces. |
| Flat Chess Sets with Chess Pieces and Chess Board | Folding Chess Sets with Storage |
|---|---|
| It can be very difficult selecting the right chess pieces and chess set. We have a selection of traditional Staunton chess sets complete with chess pieces and chess board to help make choosing easier. | Perfect for children and adults, our folding chess sets are traditional designs that are self-contained with compartmentalized storage for the chess pieces and come in sizes ranging from small and portable to tournament size. |
| Magnetic and Small Portable Chess Sets | Tournament Chess Sets |
|---|---|
| On the go? We have a wide variety of magnetic and portable chess sets and pieces perfect for the chess player who wants to continue to hone his or her game while on the move. Ideal for commuters or travel on trains, planes, or buses. | For both casual and professional players, our tournament combination chess game sets are extremely affordable and include options for everything you need to get started: plastic chess pieces, chess bags, vinyl chess boards, and chess clocks. |
| Marble Chess Sets | Unique Chess Sets |
|---|---|
| Our marble chess sets use a variety of colors from the traditional to the exotic, creating a bold statement that can complement any home. These handcrafted chess pieces ensure that no two will ever be exactly the same, and they come in a variety of styles. | We've travelled the world to find some of the most unusual and exotic chess sets around. When we can't find a proper category for them on our chess store website, we put them here. With this collection, you can buy chess pieces that reflect your own unique personality. You will find a large selection of chess sets in a variety of materials, shapes, and sizes. |
| Instructional and Teaching Chess Sets | Variant Chess Sets |
|---|---|
| Not sure of the rules of chess? New to the game? Instructional chess sets have aids to help the beginner, both young and old, learn the basic rules of chess. These sets have visual aids, books, and other chess supplies to help memory and learning for the first time. | Looking for something different from a standard chess set? Tired of sitting on the sidelines while watching your friends play? Chess variants include games similar to chess with unique rules, options for multiple players, or other games inspired by chess. |
| Multiple Game Combination Sets | Oversized and Outdoor Chess Sets |
|---|---|
| Want more than just chess? Our multi-game chess sets include other games, such as checkers, backgammon, dominoes, cribbage, Chinese checkers, go, and more. | For patio, lawn, or even indoor use, we have a selection of larger sized chess game sets specifically designed for use outdoors. |
Chess Rules
Chess Board Online Play
Chess is one of the oldest known board games still played to this day. The rules of chess have varied greatly since its invention, but by now have been fairly standardized and commonly known. The rules presented here are the basic rules of the game of chess, but a detailed overview of how the game is played can be found at Wikipedia or the official ruleset of the International chess federation.
Queen's Gambit
Since the chess TV show the Queen's Gambit has recently been very popular we've temporarily changed our hardest opponent, Ann, and renamed her to Beth (as in Beth Harmon, the protagonist from the Queen's Gambit). We'll put Ann back in a few days 🙂.
Setup
The game of chess is played on an 8x8 checkered board, where the rows are marked from 1-8 and referred to as 'ranks' and the columns marked from 'A' to 'H', referred to as 'files'. The square marked as 'A1' should be black. The player controlling the white pieces places his pieces on ranks 1 and 2, and the player playing the black pieces places his pieces on ranks 7 and 8. The pawns are placed on ranks 2 and 7. The other pieces are placed on ranks 1 and 8 as followed, starting from the 'A' file: A rook, a knight, a bishop, a queen, a king, a bishop, a knight, and a rook. The player who has white goes first, and players alternate moves after that.
Chess Board Online Shopping
The Aim of the game
The game can end under the following circumstances:
- If your opponent's king is under threat of capture, but your opponent has no legal move to prevent that capture, you have won. This is referred to as 'Checkmate'
- when either player concedes the game.
- when a player takes too long in making their move. On this site we give each player 60 seconds to make each move, and a total of 15 minutes for all their moves before the game is forfeit.
- If a players king is not under threat of capture but that player has no legal moves anyway, the game is a draw.
- The game is also a draw if any of the following situations come up:
- Neither player has enough pieces to be able to checkmate
- The same board position is repeated three times
- 50 consecutive turns have passed in which neither player has moved a pawn nor captured a piece
- The players agree to a draw
Chess Board Online For 2 Players
Making a move
The six pieces move as follows:
- The Bishop can move any number of squares along the diagonal.
- The Rook can move any number of squares along the same rank or file.
- The Queen can move any number of squares along the same rank, file, or diagonal.
- The Knight moves to the closest square that is neither on the same rank, file, or diagonal. Essentially the knight moves in an 'L' shape, two squares along a rank or file and then a single square perpendicular.The knight is the only piece that can 'jump over' other pieces.
- The Pawn moves one square along the file, always towards the opponent's side of the board. The first time a pawn moves it is allowed to move two spaces along the file instead of one granted it has the space. A pawn can only capture a piece imminently along the diagonals in the direction of travel, not along the file it is currently travelling.
- The King can only move a single square in any direction, with the exception of castling (see below). The King can never place himself in a check.
Placing a king in check
When a player makes a move in which any of his pieces threatens to capture the opponents king the next turn the king is said to be in check. A player in check must make a move that results in the check being relieved; be that by moving the king out of the way, capturing the threatning piece, or placing a piece in between the king and threatning piece. A player that has no legal move out of the check has lost the game (referred to a Checkmate). A player can be placed in check by multiple pieces at once, and must get out of all checks at once. A player can not remain in check. A player may never make a move that results in his own king being in check.
Special moves
- En passant refers to a special move open to the pawns. When a pawn is moved two spaces from his starting position and is placed next to an enemy pawn, the enemy pawn can capture the pawn as it had only been moved a single square. For example, assume a white pawn is placed at B5. the black C7 pawn is moved to C5. The White player can move the B5 pawn to C6, and capture the C7 pawn. The player can only utilize en passant on the move directly following the opponent moving the pawn in question. The right expires as soon as his opponent makes the next move
- Castling refers to a special move open to the King and Rooks. If neither the King nor Rook has been moved during the game, the rank separating them is clear of pieces, and during the castling process no space the king will move over or end on is under attack by an opponent piece, the player can move his king two spaces towards the rook, and the rook on the opposite side of the king. For example, assume that the white king on E1 and the white rook on A1 have direct line of sight and have not moved. The white player can, in a single move, move the king two spaces left (to C1) and the rook three spaces right (to D1). The player could also castle kingside, moving the king to G1 and the H1 rook to F1.
- Promotion is a special move granted to the pawns. If a pawn manages to reach the far end of the board (white pawns to the 8-rank, black pawns to the 1-rank) they are automatically promoted. The player must state a piece (Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen). The promoted pawn is then transformed to the declared piece. A player might thus have a maximum of 9 Queens on the board, the one he started with and one for each of the 8 pawns that he potentially can promote. By the nature of the game pawns can not promote to a king, nor remain pawns.