Play Chess Against the Computer

How to play chess against the computer

Choose a difficulty, side, and move order. Standard chess begins with White. The custom setup also lets Black move first; when you play Black, the board is oriented from Black’s side.

Selecting a piece displays every legal target. Moves that leave your king in check are rejected, and the game detects check, checkmate, stalemate, repetition, and other supported draw conditions.

• Checkmate wins by leaving the opposing king with no legal defense.
• Castling requires a clear path and unmoved king and rook.
• A pawn reaching the last rank may promote to queen, rook, bishop, or knight.

Development and king safety

In the opening, develop knights and bishops, contest the center, and secure the king. Repeatedly moving one piece loses time, while bringing the queen out too early often gives the opponent an easy target.

In middlegames, scan checks, captures, and threats before comparing pawn structure, open files, and weak squares. In endgames, the king changes from a protected target into an active fighting piece.

AI difficulty

Choose one of six AI difficulty levels without selecting a local or cloud mode. Some matches need a connection; backup AI may reduce the difficulty if the service is unavailable.

Castling, en passant, and stalemate

Castling requires an unmoved king and rook with an empty path. The king cannot castle out of check, through check, or into check. An empty path alone is not enough.

En passant is available only immediately after an opposing pawn advances two squares from its starting rank, and the capture must not expose your king.

No legal move while not in check is stalemate, a draw. No legal escape from check is checkmate. Avoid turning a winning position into stalemate by removing every opposing move.

A first-game exercise: king safety

Choose Novice and White moving first. Develop minor pieces and look for safe castling. Before each move, check for threats against your king and undefended pieces.

Promotion offers a queen, rook, bishop, or knight. A queen is usually strongest, but a knight may deliver a useful check and a queen can sometimes cause stalemate.

Start a beginner Chess game · A first-game exercise: king safety →

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