Chess: the game that began in India

Chess rules

1. White moves first; players take turns moving one piece. Capture by moving onto an opponent’s piece.
2. The king moves one square; the queen any distance in any direction; the rook straight; the bishop diagonally; the knight in an L and can jump; the pawn forward one (two on its first move) and captures diagonally.
3. Check: the king is attacked and must be saved. Checkmate: it cannot be saved, and the game is over.
4. Special moves: castling, en passant, and a pawn reaching the far end becomes a queen.
5. A game is drawn by stalemate (no legal move but not in check), too few pieces to mate, 50 moves without a capture or pawn move, or the same position three times.

How to play better quickly

• Control the centre with pawns and pieces early.
• Develop knights and bishops before moving the queen out.
• Castle early to keep your king safe.
• Before every move ask: what is my opponent threatening?

Tap a piece to see where it can go. Playing against the computer? You can watch a short ad to undo your last move. In our game a pawn that reaches the far end always becomes a queen.