Board & classics
Play Chess online
The complete game with every special move – castling, en passant and promotion included. The computer searches with minimax and alpha-beta pruning, weighing material, position and king safety. A bar shows you where the position stands at any moment.
Play Chess nowFree · no download · no sign-up
At a glance
- Category
- Board & classics
- Controls
- mouse or finger
- Price
- free
- Sign-up
- not required
Yes. Chess is played against the computer here, across several strengths from easy to very strong. A win also pays chips into your account.
Where Chess comes from
Chess descends from the Indian game chaturanga, documented in the 6th century. It reached Europe through Persian shatranj and the Arab world, and in 15th-century Spain and Italy the modern moves took shape – above all the powerful queen, which gave the game its modern pace. Wilhelm Steinitz won the first world championship in 1886; in 1997 Deep Blue became the first computer to beat a reigning world champion.
How it works
Goal
Checkmate the opposing king – put him in check with no move left to save him.
Making a move
Click your piece first, then one of the marked squares. A filled dot means "empty", a ring means "something to capture here".
Every rule is in
Castling both sides, en passant and pawn promotion (automatically to a queen). Moves that would leave your own king in check are never offered.
The opponent
It looks three plies ahead (minimax with alpha-beta). On "Easy" it often slips and plays at random, on "Hard" it almost always finds the best move.
The readout
On the right you see the material balance: a plus means you have more wood on the board.
Three tips for better results
- 1In the opening develop knights and bishops before you bring out the queen.
- 2Castle early: a king in the centre is almost always the first target in open positions.
- 3Count both sides of every exchange – the computer looks three plies deep.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chess free to play?
Yes. Chess runs straight in your browser, costs nothing and needs no installation. There is no paywall – the chips in the game are play money and cannot be bought. The site is funded by advertising, which appears only if you agree to it.
Do I need an account to play Chess?
No. The home page offers “play now without an account” – that starts you straight away and your progress stays in this browser. An account is only worth it if you want the same progress on several devices; name and PIN are enough, and we never ask for an email address. A guest profile can be turned into an account at any time without losing anything.
How do you play Chess?
Goal Checkmate the opposing king – put him in check with no move left to save him.
Where does Chess come from?
Chess descends from the Indian game chaturanga, documented in the 6th century. It reached Europe through Persian shatranj and the Arab world, and in 15th-century Spain and Italy the modern moves took shape – above all the powerful queen, which gave the game its modern pace. Wilhelm Steinitz won the first world championship in 1886; in 1997 Deep Blue became the first computer to beat a reigning world champion.
Does Chess work on a phone?
The site adapts to the screen size, and anything you can click can also be tapped. Games controlled with arrow keys do need a keyboard, though.
Do I have to download anything to play Chess?
No. Chess runs in the browser – on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iPhone alike. There is no app, no plugin and nothing to install.
Can I play Chess against the computer?
Yes. Chess is played against the computer here, across several strengths from easy to very strong. A win also pays chips into your account.
Does Chess work without an internet connection?
The page has to load once; after that the game itself runs entirely in your browser and needs no connection. If you use an account, your progress syncs again as soon as you are back online.
Also known as
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