CLASSIC CHESS
Play Chess Online
Chess is played by White and Black on an 8×8 board. Choose your side and move order, face six local AI levels or optional cloud review, and use undo, board flip, and notation tools to study each game.
- Six AI levels From learning piece movement to tactical search
- Complete special rules Castling, en passant, and four promotions
- Flexible setup Choose White or Black, first or second
Starting an online chess game
Choose a difficulty, side, and move order. Standard chess begins with White. The custom setup also lets Black move first; when you play Black, the board is oriented from Black’s side.
Selecting a piece displays every legal target. Moves that leave your king in check are rejected, and the game detects check, checkmate, stalemate, repetition, and other supported draw conditions.
- Checkmate wins by leaving the opposing king with no legal defense.
- Castling requires a clear path and unmoved king and rook.
- A pawn reaching the last rank may promote to queen, rook, bishop, or knight.
Development and king safety
In the opening, develop knights and bishops, contest the center, and secure the king. Repeatedly moving one piece loses time, while bringing the queen out too early often gives the opponent an easy target.
In middlegames, scan checks, captures, and threats before comparing pawn structure, open files, and weak squares. In endgames, the king changes from a protected target into an active fighting piece.
Local play and cloud review
Local mode provides a fast, dependable opponent at six levels. Cloud mode reviews locally searched candidates online and uses the best local result if the remote service cannot respond.
Frequently asked questions
Are castling and en passant supported?
Yes. Both are validated against the full current position.
Which promotion pieces can I choose?
Queen, rook, bishop, and knight are available.
Can Black move first?
Yes. Side and move order are separate custom settings, although standard chess normally starts with White.