The rules of chess

Other rules

Touching pieces

When a player touches one of his own pieces, he must, if possible, make a legal move with this piece. When a player touches a piece of the opponent, he must, if possible, take this piece.

Chess clocks and time

Often, players play the game with chess clocks. These clocks count the time that each player separately takes for making his own moves. Additional rules are then used, saying how many (possibly all) moves must be made before a player has used a certain time for his moves. For details, see the official rules of chess.

Other rules

There are other rules, telling what should happen in special occasions, like when players started the game with a wrong setup, etc. These are not so important for friendly games; for details, again see the official rules of chess.

Unsure about the rules of chess?

• Frequently asked questions on the rules of chess.