Set up the board with white pieces on the bottom rank and black pieces on the top rank
Place the pieces:
Rooks in corners
Knights next to rooks
Bishops next to knights
Queen on her color (white queen on a white square, black queen on a black square)
King on the remaining square of that color
Pawns on the second rank for each side
Learn piece moves:
King: one square in any direction
Queen: any number of squares in any straight line or diagonal
Rook: any number of squares straight (horizontal/vertical)
Bishop: any number of squares diagonally
Knight: two squares in one direction, then one square perpendicular (L-shape)
Pawn: one square forward (two squares from the starting rank), captures diagonally forward one square
Capture pieces by moving onto the occupied square of an opponent’s piece
Follow turn order: players alternate moves
Do not move into check (your king cannot be left attacked)
Handle check: when your king is attacked, your next move must remove the check
Handle checkmate: win when the opponent’s king is in check and has no legal move to escape
Handle stalemate: draw when the player to move has no legal moves and is not in check
Use castling when legal:
King moves two squares toward the rook, rook moves to the square the king crossed
Must have never moved the king or that rook, squares between must be empty, king cannot be in check, and king cannot pass through or land on attacked squares
Use en passant when legal:
If a pawn moves two squares and lands beside an opponent pawn, the opponent may capture it as if it moved one square on the very next move only
Promote pawns when a pawn reaches the last rank:
Choose a piece (usually a queen)
End the game by checkmate or draw conditions