How to play chess online with friends, a bot or one phone

Chess is the oldest game on inkmate, and the one people ask about first. You can play it free with no account: against a friendly bot, against a friend sitting next to you with one phone, or against someone far away in a private room.

The goal

You win by checkmating the other king. A king is in check when a piece could capture it next move. It is checkmate when the king is in check and has no way out: it cannot move to a safe square, the attacker cannot be captured, and the attack cannot be blocked. If the player to move is not in check but has no legal move, the game is a draw called stalemate.

How the pieces move

The king moves one square in any direction.
The queen slides any distance in a straight line or diagonal.
A rook slides any distance along a row or column.
A bishop slides any distance diagonally and stays on its colour for ever.
A knight jumps in an L shape: two squares one way and one to the side. It is the only piece that can jump over others.
A pawn steps forward one square, or two from its starting square, and captures one square diagonally forward.

There are a few special moves. Castling lets the king and a rook tuck away together in one move. En passant is a pawn capture that happens right after an enemy pawn steps two squares past it. A pawn that reaches the far side is promoted, usually to a queen. The board applies all of these for you, so you only need to know that they exist.

Ways to play on inkmate

Against a bot: open chess and choose a level from sleepy to sharp. The weaker levels make honest mistakes, so they are good for learning, and the sharpest plays without mercy.
Two on one phone: choose the together option and pass the device on your turn. No sign-in needed.
Private room: make a room, share the code and play with a friend anywhere. Clocks are available if you want a time limit, and you can send emoji reactions during the game.

A game runs anywhere from ten to thirty minutes depending on clocks and how long you think.

Draws and other ways a game ends

Checkmate is not the only way a game ends. A player can resign when the position is hopeless, which is perfectly normal and polite. A game is drawn by stalemate, by agreement, or when neither side has enough pieces left to checkmate, such as a lone king against a lone king. It is also a draw if the same position appears three times or if fifty moves go by without a capture or a pawn move. If clocks are on, running out of time loses the game, so keep an eye on yours.

Your first moves

You do not need to memorise openings to enjoy chess. Follow three habits. Move a centre pawn to take space. Develop your knights and bishops toward the middle. Castle early to tuck your king away. Our guide to chess openings for beginners walks through a few sensible first moves.

Chess in a room is a good fit for a call with a friend. You can talk through the position as you go, send a quick emoji when someone makes a clever move, and the room keeps the games you have played together, so a friendly rivalry can run for weeks.

Five tips for new players

Before every move, check what your opponent’s last move threatens. Most beginner games are decided by one piece left hanging.
Do not bring your queen out too early. It becomes a target and you lose time moving it again.
Count attackers and defenders on a square before capturing.
Trade pieces when you are ahead and avoid trades when you are behind.
Learn the basic checkmates so you can finish a won game. Start with how to checkmate with king and queen.

tip: Teaching someone new? Start with the sleepy bot so mistakes are forgiving, then step up a level once they are winning most games. If it is a child, see how to teach chess to kids.

When you want a break from the board, try ludo or carrom. Otherwise, start a game of chess now.