The goal
You win by checkmating your opponent's king. A game can also end in a draw, by stalemate or under one of the draw rules. In a game with someone, it can also end by resignation or by a draw agreed to by both players.
The board and starting position
The board has 8 by 8 squares, alternating light and dark, with a light square in each player's right-hand corner. Each side starts with 16 pieces: a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns.
On the back rank, from White's left to right: rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight and rook. The eight pawns fill the rank in front. The queen starts on her own color.
On Selminha.com, White plays the brass pieces and Black plays the steel ones.
Who moves first
White moves first. Against the computer, you play the brass pieces and move first; in an invite game, whoever created the invite gets the brass pieces and moves first. After that, players take turns, one move each.
How the pieces move
- King
- Moves one square in any direction. It can never move onto an attacked square or be left in check.
- Queen
- Moves any number of squares along a rank, a file or a diagonal.
- Rook
- Moves any number of squares along a rank or a file.
- Bishop
- Moves any number of squares diagonally, so it always stays on squares of the same color.
- Knight
- Moves in an L shape: two squares in one direction, then one square at a right angle. It is the only piece that can jump over other pieces.
- Pawn
- Moves one square forward, or two on its first move if both squares are empty. It captures one square diagonally forward. It never moves backward.
Except for the knight, no piece can pass over another.
Capturing
You capture an enemy piece by moving onto its square, and the captured piece leaves the board. You can never capture your own pieces, and capturing is never mandatory. The king is never captured: the game ends before that, with checkmate.
Special moves
- Castling
- The king and a rook move together: the king moves two squares toward the rook, and the rook hops over to the square on the king's other side. You can castle kingside or queenside, as long as neither the king nor that rook has moved, there are no pieces between them, the king is not in check, and it does not pass through or land on a square under attack. Since the king can only do this before it has moved, each side castles at most once.
- En passant
- When a pawn advances two squares and lands beside an enemy pawn, that pawn can capture it as if it had moved only one square, landing on the square it skipped. This is only allowed on the very next move, never later.
- Promotion
- A pawn that reaches the last rank is replaced, in the same move, by a queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same color. In the game, a menu pops up and you tap the piece you want.
Check, checkmate and stalemate
A king attacked by an enemy piece is in check, and the game highlights its square in red. If you are in check, you must get out of it: move the king, capture the attacking piece or block the line of attack. No move may leave your own king in check.
- Checkmate
- The king is in check and no move gets it out. The player who delivered mate wins.
- Stalemate
- The player to move is not in check but has no legal move. The game is a draw.
Draws
Besides stalemate, the game is a draw in these cases:
- Threefold repetition
- The same position comes up three times with the same player to move, the same castling rights and the same en passant possibilities.
- Fifty-move rule
- Each side has made 50 moves with no capture and no pawn move.
- Insufficient material
- Neither side has enough pieces left to deliver mate: king against king, king and bishop or king and knight against a lone king, or kings and bishops only, with all the bishops on squares of the same color.
- Agreement
- In a game with someone, one player offers a draw and the other accepts.
On Selminha.com, draws by repetition, by the fifty-move rule and by insufficient material are declared automatically, with no need for anyone to claim them.
Options on Selminha.com
- Against the computer
- Four opponents, from weakest to strongest: the Tamer (very easy), the Driver (easy), the Warden (medium) and the Executive (hard).
- With someone by link
- Tap PLAY WITH SOMEONE and send the link. The game is saved on the site, and each of you plays your turn whenever you can.
- During a game with someone
- You can offer a draw or resign. If your opponent goes more than two days without moving on their turn, you can end the game and claim the win by forfeit. A room with no moves for 7 days expires with no winner.
- Watching and rematch
- Anyone who opens the link to a full room can watch. At the end, if both players agree, a new game starts in the same room.
Tips for beginners
- In the opening, bring out your knights and bishops and fight for the center squares.
- Castle early to keep your king safe.
- Avoid bringing your queen out too early: she becomes a target, and you lose time moving her to safety.
- Before every move, ask yourself: What is my opponent threatening? Did I leave any piece unprotected?
- As a rough guide for trades, a pawn is worth 1 point, a knight or bishop about 3, a rook 5 and a queen 9.
Variations
Chess on Selminha.com follows the official rules, with no variants. There is one difference from tournament play: there, a draw by repetition or by the fifty-move rule usually has to be claimed by a player; here, the game declares the draw as soon as the situation arises.