Chess
- Category
- Board
- Players
- 1-2
- Controls
- Click / Tap
- Rules
- Full legal moves
About this game
Chess needs no introduction, but it does need a good implementation. This one enforces the full rules: legal move generation, check, checkmate, and stalemate detection, so you cannot accidentally leave your own king hanging or play a move that is not allowed. Pick a piece and the squares it can legally reach are the ones that respond.
You can play against the computer or hand the device back and forth with someone else. The computer is a reasonable club-level opponent rather than an engine designed to crush you, which makes it a decent partner for practising openings and spotting tactics without the demoralising experience of losing in twelve moves every time.
Controls
| Click or tap a piece | Select it and show where it can legally go. |
| Click a highlighted square | Move the selected piece there. |
| Click the piece again | Deselect it and choose a different one. |
| New game | Reset to the starting position. |
Tips & strategy
In the opening, aim for three things and ignore everything else: put a pawn in the centre, develop your knights and bishops toward the middle, and castle your king to safety. Players who chase early material with their queen usually spend the next ten moves retreating it while the opponent develops for free.
Before every single move, ask what your opponent threatened with their last one. The overwhelming majority of games below expert level are decided not by deep plans but by one side simply not noticing that a piece was attacked. This one habit is worth more than any amount of opening theory.
Look for pieces that are undefended or stuck on the same line as something valuable. Forks, pins and skewers all come from geometry rather than calculation: a knight that can reach a square attacking both king and rook, or a bishop lining up on a queen with only a pawn in between. Scan for these shapes rather than trying to calculate every branch.
In the endgame the king stops being a liability and becomes a strong piece. Once the queens come off, march it toward the centre and use it to support your pawns. Beginners often leave the king tucked in the corner all game and then lose an endgame they were winning, simply because their king never joined in.
Questions
Are all the special rules included?
Castling, en passant and pawn promotion are handled, and the game detects check, checkmate and stalemate.
How strong is the computer?
It plays sensibly and punishes obvious blunders, but it is not engine-strength. It is meant to be a fair game rather than an unbeatable wall.
Can two people play on one device?
Yes. Switch to two-player mode and pass the device between moves.
Can I take a move back?
No. Moves are final, which is the same rule you would play by over a real board.