The official chess rules do not include a procedure for determining who plays White. In addition, if the game is being played under a time control, a player who exceeds the time limit loses the game unless they cannot be checkmated. Play continues until a king is checkmated, a player resigns, or a draw is declared, as explained below. Making a move is required it is not legal to skip a move, even when having to move is detrimental. White moves first, then players alternate moves. The player controlling the white pieces is named 'White' the player controlling the black pieces is named 'Black'. Procedures for resolving irregularities that can occur during a game are provided as well.Ī game in a public park in Kyiv, using a chess clock There are variations of the rules for fast chess, correspondence chess, online chess, and Chess960.īesides the basic moves of the pieces, rules also govern the equipment used, time control, conduct and ethics of players, accommodations for physically challenged players, and recording of moves using chess notation. Slight modifications are made by some national organizations for their own purposes. Today, the standard rules are set by FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs), the international governing body for chess. The rules also varied somewhat from region to region. The rules continued to be slightly modified until the early 19th century, when they reached essentially their current form. While the exact origins of chess are unclear, modern rules first took form during the Middle Ages. A game can end in various ways besides checkmate: a player can resign, and there are several ways a game can end in a draw. The object of the game is to checkmate (threaten with inescapable capture) the opponent's king. Each type of piece moves in a distinct way. Each player controls sixteen pieces of six types on a chessboard. Chess is a two-player abstract strategy board game. The rules of chess (also known as the laws of chess) govern the play of the game of chess. Left to right: king, rook, queen, pawn, knight, bishop

Chess checkmate