Chess (FIDE) Rules Explained

1. Introduction

Chess is played between two opponents who move pieces alternately on a square board called a "chessboard" (Art. 1.1). The player with the light-coloured pieces (White) makes the first move, after which the players move alternately (Art. 1.2).

The objective is to place the opponent's king "under attack" in such a way that the opponent has no legal move to escape (Art. 1.4). Achieving this is called checkmate, and the player who checkmates wins the game (Art. 1.4.1). If the position is such that neither player can possibly checkmate the opponent's king, the game is drawn (Art. 1.5).

This document summarises the FIDE Laws of Chess in force from 1 January 2023, which govern over-the-board play worldwide. The Laws are divided into Basic Rules of Play (Articles 1-5) and Competitive Rules of Play (Articles 6-12), with appendices covering Rapid, Blitz, algebraic notation, and play with blind and visually disabled players.

2. Equipment (Board, Pieces & Clock)

The Chessboard

The board is composed of an 8 x 8 grid of 64 equal squares alternately light and dark (Art. 2.1)
The board is placed so that the near corner square to the right of each player is light (Art. 2.1)
The eight vertical columns are files; the eight horizontal rows are ranks

The Pieces

Each player begins with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns (Art. 2.2)
One player controls the light-coloured pieces (White), the other the dark-coloured pieces (Black)
The initial arrangement places White on ranks 1 and 2 and Black on ranks 7 and 8 (Art. 2.3)

The Chessclock

A chessclock has two time displays connected so that only one runs at a time (Art. 6.1)
Each time display has a "flag"; flag-fall marks the expiry of a player's allotted time (Art. 6.1)
A player must press the clock with the same hand used to make the move to complete that move (Art. 6.2.1)
A flag is considered to have fallen when the arbiter observes the fact (Art. 6.8)

3. Playing Area & Conditions

The playing venue is the area defined by the organiser in which the games are played; players may not leave it without arbiter permission.

Arrival & Default Time

The default time is the period after the start of the session within which a late player may still begin
If the default time is not specified in advance, it is zero (Art. 6.7.1)
A player arriving after the default time loses the game unless the arbiter decides otherwise (Art. 6.7.1)

Conditions of Play

Only the players, the arbiter, and authorised persons may be in the playing area during play
Electronic devices are forbidden in the playing venue unless specifically approved (Art. 11.3.2)
The scoresheet must remain visible to the arbiter throughout the game (Art. 8.2)
Rapid and Blitz events may relax recording requirements (Appendix A.2, B.3) and supervision ratios (Appendix A.4.1)

4. Players & the Arbiter

The Players

Chess is a two-player game; each controls one colour throughout the game (Art. 1.1)
Moves must be made with one hand only (Art. 4.1)
Players record their moves in algebraic notation on the prescribed scoresheet, or an approved electronic equivalent (Art. 8.1.1.1)

The Arbiter

The arbiter shall see that the Laws of Chess are observed (Art. 12.1)
Duties include ensuring fair play (Art. 12.2.1) and supervising the progress of the competition (Art. 12.2.5)
The arbiter determines when a flag has fallen (Art. 6.8) and rules on irregularities (Art. 7)

Arbiter's Powers (Art. 12.9)

Warning; increasing or reducing the remaining time of a player
Awarding or deducting points; declaring the game lost by a player
Imposing a fine; exclusion from one or more rounds; expulsion from the competition

5. Rules of Play

How the Pieces Move

Bishop: any number of squares along a diagonal, without leaping over another piece (Art. 3.2)
Rook: any number of squares along a rank or file, without leaping (Art. 3.3)
Queen: any number of squares along a rank, file, or diagonal, without leaping (Art. 3.4)
Knight: an L-shape - two squares in one direction then one perpendicular - and may jump over pieces (Art. 3.6)
King: one square in any direction (Art. 3.8.1), plus castling (below)

Pawn Moves (Art. 3.7)

Advances one square forward to an unoccupied square (Art. 3.7.1)
On its first move it may advance two squares, provided both are unoccupied (Art. 3.7.2)
Captures diagonally forward one square only (Art. 3.7.3)
En passant: a pawn may capture an opponent's pawn that has just advanced two squares, as if it had advanced only one (Art. 3.7.3.1-3.7.3.2)
Promotion: on reaching the far rank the pawn must be exchanged, as part of the same move, for a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of the same colour (Art. 3.7.3.3-3.7.3.5)

Castling (Art. 3.8.2)

The king moves two squares toward a rook, and that rook moves to the square the king crossed
The right is lost permanently if the king or that rook has previously moved (Art. 3.8.2.1)
Castling is prevented if the king is in check, or would cross or land on an attacked square, or if pieces stand between king and rook (Art. 3.8.2.2)

Check and Legality

A king is in check when attacked by one or more enemy pieces (Art. 3.9.1)
No move may leave or place a player's own king in check (Art. 3.9.2)

Touch-Move (Art. 4)

Saying "j'adoube" / "I adjust" before touching allows a player to adjust pieces without being obliged to move them (Art. 4.2.1)
Otherwise, touching a piece obliges the player to move or capture it if a legal move exists (Art. 4.3)
Touching king then rook obliges castling if legal; touching the rook first forbids castling with that rook this move (Art. 4.4)
The choice of promotion piece is final once that piece touches the promotion square (Art. 4.4.4)
A piece released on a square cannot be moved again on that move (Art. 4.7)

6. Results, Draws & Scoring

Winning

Checkmate ends the game immediately, provided the move producing it was legal (Art. 5.1.1)
Resignation: a player who resigns loses immediately, unless the position is one in which the opponent cannot possibly checkmate (Art. 5.1.2)
Time: a player who does not complete the prescribed moves in the allotted time loses, except where checkmate is impossible (Art. 6.9)

Draws

Stalemate: the player to move has no legal move and is not in check (Art. 5.2.1)
Dead position: neither player can possibly checkmate (Art. 5.2.2)
Agreement: permitted once each player has made at least one move (Art. 5.2.3)
Threefold repetition: drawn on correct claim by the player to move (Art. 9.2.1-9.2.2)
Fifty-move rule: drawn on correct claim when the last 50 moves by each player included no capture and no pawn move (Art. 9.3.2)
Automatic draws: fivefold repetition (Art. 9.6.1) and seventy-five moves by each player without capture or pawn move (Art. 9.6.2) are drawn without a claim

Points (Art. 10.1)

Win = 1 point
Draw = ½ point
Loss = 0 points

7. Violations & Penalties

Illegal Moves (Art. 7.5)

An illegal move is completed once the player has pressed the clock (Art. 7.5.1)
The position immediately before the irregularity is reinstated
First completed illegal move: the arbiter gives two minutes extra time to the opponent (Art. 7.5.5)
Second completed illegal move by the same player: the arbiter declares the game lost by that player (Art. 7.5.5)
In Rapid and Blitz the time penalty is one minute instead of two (Appendix A.3)

Electronic Devices (Art. 11.3)

A player is forbidden to have any electronic device not specifically approved in the playing venue (Art. 11.3.2)
If it is evident that a player has such a device on their person in the playing venue, that player loses the game (Art. 11.3.2.2)

Conduct

Persistent refusal to comply with the Laws of Chess is penalised by loss of the game (Art. 11.7)
Players may not distract or annoy the opponent in any manner whatsoever
Penalties escalate through the scale in Art. 12.9, from warning to expulsion

8. Fair Play & Integrity

Fair Play

Players shall take no action that will bring the game of chess into disrepute (Art. 11.1)
The arbiter's duties expressly include ensuring fair play (Art. 12.2.1)
Agreeing a result in advance, or deliberately losing, is contrary to Art. 11.1

Anti-Cheating

The device prohibition in Art. 11.3.2 is the primary anti-cheating provision in over-the-board play
Organisers may screen players entering the playing venue, subject to FIDE anti-cheating regulations
The scoresheet requirement (Art. 8.1-8.2) creates a verifiable record of every game

Accessibility

Appendix D of the Laws sets out play with blind and visually disabled players, including adapted boards and permitted assistance
Arbiters may make reasonable accommodation for players with disabilities under the Laws

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