A Brief Guide to the Rules of Chess
- The chessboard is placed so that the white square is on the right side of the player.
- The player with the White pieces always moves first.
- A pawn on reaching the last rank can be exchanged for a Queen, Rook, Bishop or Knight as part of the same move. The effect of this promoted piece is immediate. So if the pawn is promoted to a Queen, the Queen, if it is in a position to do so, may check or checkmate the enemy King.
- Each move must be made with only one hand.
- A piece that is touched must be moved unless moving this piece would place the King in check. This is called the "touch-move rule".
- If an opponent's piece is touched then it must be captured if possible. If this is not possible then play continues as if that piece had not been touched.
- A person may adjust a piece on the chessboard on her move by saying "j'adoube" which is French for "I adjust".
- When castling, the King must be moved first and then the Rook brought to stand on the opposite side to the King.
- When using a clock, the button must be pressed with the hand which moved the piece on the chessboard.
- All play should be conducted with respect for the opponent. A
player should not distract or annoy her opponent in
any way.
For a more comprehensive guide to the official rules of chess
see
FIDE Laws of Chess
1997