Rules of chess

Staunton style chess pieces. Left to right: king, rook, queen, pawn,
knight, bishop

The rules of chess (also known as the laws of chess) are

rules governing the play of the game of chess. While the
exact origins of chess are unclear, modern rules first took
form during the Middle Ages. The rules continued to be
slightly modified until the early 19th century, when
they reached essentially their current form. The rules also
varied somewhat from place to place. Today, the standard
rules are set by FIDE (Fédération Internationale des
Échecs), the international governing body for chess.
Slight modifications are made by some national
organizations for their own purposes. There are variations
of the rules for fast chess, correspondence chess, online
chess, and Chess960.

Chess is a two-player board game utilizing a chessboard

and sixteen pieces of six types for each player. Each type
of piece moves in a distinct way. The goal of the game is
to checkmate (threaten with inescapable capture) the
opponent's king. Games do not necessarily end in
checkmate; players often resign if they believe they will
lose. A game can also end in a draw in several ways.

Besides the basic moves of the pieces, rules also govern

the equipment used, time control, conduct and ethics of
players, accommodations for physically challenged
players, and recording of moves using chess notation.
Procedures for resolving irregularities that can occur
during a game are provided as well.

Initial setup

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7 7
6 6
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Starting position

Chess is played on a chessboard, a square board divided

into 64 squares (eight-by-eight) of alternating color,
which is similar to that used in draughts (checkers)
(FIDE 2008). No matter what the actual colors of the
board, the lighter-colored squares are called "light" or
"white", and the darker-colored squares are called "dark"
or "black". Sixteen "white" and sixteen "black" pieces are
placed on the board at the beginning of the game. The
board is placed so that a white square is in each player's
near-right corner. Horizontal rows are called ranks and
vertical rows are called files.

Each player controls sixteen pieces:

Piece King Queen Rook Bishop Knight Pawn

Number 1 1 2 2 2 8

Symbols

At the beginning of the game, the pieces are arranged as

shown in the diagram: for each side one king, one queen,
two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns.
The pieces are placed, one on a square, as follows:

The rooks are placed on the outside corners, right and

left edge.
 The knights are placed immediately inside of the
rooks.
The bishops are placed immediately inside of the
knights.
The queen is placed on the central square of the same
color of that of the player: white queen on the white
square and black queen on the black square.
The king takes the vacant spot next to the queen.
The pawns are placed one square in front of all of the
other pieces.

Popular mnemonics used to remember the setup are "queen

on her own color" and "white on right". The latter refers
to setting up the board so that the square closest to each
player's right is white (Schiller 2003:16–17).
Gameplay

A game in a public park in Kiev, using a chess clock

The player controlling the white pieces is named "White";

the player controlling the black pieces is named "Black".
White moves first, then players alternate moves. Making
a move is required; it is not legal to skip a move, even
when having to move is detrimental. Play continues until
a king is checkmated, a player resigns, or a draw is
declared, as explained below. In addition, if the game is
being played under a time control players who exceed
their time limit lose the game.

The official chess rules do not include a procedure for

determining who plays White. Instead, this decision is
left open to tournament-specific rules (e.g. a Swiss
system tournament or round-robin tournament) or, in the
case of non-competitive play, mutual agreement, in which
case some kind of random choice is often employed. A
common method is for one player to conceal a piece
(usually a pawn) of each color in either hand; the other
player chooses a hand to open, and receives the color of
the piece that is revealed.

Movement
Basic moves
Moves of the king
abcde fgh
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
abcde fgh

Moves of a rook
abcde fgh
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
abcde fgh
Moves of a bishop
abcde fgh
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
abcde fgh

Moves of the queen

abcde fgh
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
abcde fgh
Moves of a knight
abcde fgh
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
abcde fgh

Moves of a pawn
abcde fgh
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
abcde fgh

The pawns can move to

the squares marked "×"
in front of them. The
pawn on c6 can also
take either black rook.

Each type of chess piece has its own method of movement.

A piece moves to a vacant square except when capturing
an opponent's piece.

Except for any move of the knight and castling, pieces

cannot jump over other pieces. A piece is captured (or
taken) when an attacking enemy piece replaces it on its
square (en passant is the only exception). The captured
piece is thereby permanently removed from the game.[1]
The king can be put in check but cannot be captured (see
below).

The king moves exactly one square horizontally,

vertically, or diagonally. A special move with the
king known as castling is allowed only once per
player, per game (see below).
A rook moves any number of vacant squares
horizontally or vertically. It also is moved when
castling.
A bishop moves any number of vacant squares
diagonally.
The queen moves any number of vacant squares
horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
A knight moves to the nearest square not on the same
rank, file, or diagonal. (This can be thought of as
moving two squares horizontally then one square
vertically, or moving one square horizontally then
two squares vertically—i.e. in an "L" pattern.) The
knight is not blocked by other pieces: it jumps to the
new location.
Pawns have the most complex rules of movement:
A pawn moves straight forward one square, if that
square is vacant. If it has not yet moved, a pawn
 also has the option of moving two squares straight
forward, provided both squares are vacant. Pawns
cannot move backwards.
Pawns are the only pieces that capture differently
from how they move. A pawn can capture an enemy
piece on either of the two squares diagonally in
front of the pawn (but cannot move to those
squares if they are vacant).
The pawn is also involved in the two special moves en
passant and promotion (Schiller 2003:17–19).
Castling
 abcde fgh
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
abcde fgh

Position of pieces
before castling

abcde fgh
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
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abcde fgh
Positions of the king
and rook after kingside
(White) and queenside
(Black) castling

Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards

a rook, then placing the rook on the other side of the
king, adjacent to it.[2] Castling is only permissible if all
of the following conditions hold:

The king and rook involved in castling must not have

previously moved;
There must be no pieces between the king and the rook;
The king may not currently be in check, nor may the
king pass through or end up in a square that is under
attack by an enemy piece (though the rook is
permitted to be under attack and to pass over an
attacked square);
The king and the rook must be on the same rank
(Schiller 2003:19).[3]
En passant
When a pawn advances two
squares from its original square
and ends the turn adjacent to a
pawn of the opponent's on the
same rank, it may be captured
by that pawn of the opponent's, as if it had moved only
one square forward. This capture is only legal on the
opponent's next move immediately following the first
pawn's advance. The diagrams on the right demonstrate an
instance of this: if the white pawn moves from a2 to a4,
the black pawn on b4 can capture it en passant, moving
from b4 to a3 while the white pawn on a4 is removed
from the board.

Pawn promotion
If a player advances a pawn to its eighth rank, the pawn
is then promoted (converted) to a queen, rook, bishop, or
knight of the same color at the choice of the player (a
queen is usually chosen). The choice is not limited to
previously captured pieces. Hence it is theoretically
possible for a player to have up to nine queens or up to
ten rooks, bishops, or knights if all of their pawns are
promoted. If the desired piece is not available, the player
should call the arbiter to provide the piece (Schiller
2003:17–19).[4]

Check

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6 6
5 5
4 4
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Black's king is in check. It

can get out of check by
moving to an unattacked
square. Black can also
parry the check by moving
the bishop to e5 or the
knight to f4 to block the
check, or by capturing the
white bishop with the
knight. (Harkness 1967)
A king is in check when it is under attack by at least one
enemy piece. A piece unable to move because it would
place its own king in check (it is pinned against its own
king) may still deliver check to the opposing player.

It is illegal to make a move that places or leaves one's

king in check. The possible ways to get out of check are:

Move the king to a square where it is not in check.

Capture the checking piece (possibly with the king).
Block the check by placing a piece between the king
and the opponent's threatening piece (Just 2014),
(Polgar & Truong 2005:32,103), (Burgess 2009:550).

If it is not possible to get out of check, the king is

checkmated and the game is over (see the next section).
In informal games, it is customary to announce "check"
when making a move that puts the opponent's king in
check. However, in formal competitions check is rarely
announced (Just 2014).

End of the game

Checkmate

abcde fgh
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
abcde fgh

White is checkmated;
Black wins.
(Harkness 1967)

If a player's king is placed in check and there is no legal

move that player can make to escape check, then the king
is said to be checkmated, the game ends, and that player
loses (Schiller 2003:20–21). Unlike other pieces, the
king is never actually captured or removed from the board
because checkmate ends the game (Burgess 2009:502).

The diagram shows an example checkmate position. The

white king is threatened by the black queen; the square to
which the king could move is also threatened; it cannot
capture the queen, because it would then be in check by
the rook.

Resigning

Either player may resign at any time and their opponent

wins the game. Players typically resign when they
believe they are very likely to lose the game. A player
may resign by saying it verbally or by indicating it on
their score sheet in any of three ways: (1) by writing
"resigns", (2) by circling the result of the game, or (3) by
writing "1–0" if Black resigns or "0–1" if White resigns
(Schiller 2003:21). Tipping over the king also indicates
resignation, but it is not frequently used (and should be
distinguished from accidentally knocking the king over).
Stopping both clocks is not an indication of resigning,
since clocks can be stopped to call the arbiter. An offer of
a handshake is not necessarily a resignation either, since
one player could think they are agreeing to a draw (Just
2014).

Draws

(Harkness 1967)
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7 7
6 6
5 5
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3 3
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 a b c d e f g h

Black to move is in
stalemate, since his king
has no legal move, and is
not in check. The game is
drawn.

The game ends in a draw if any of these conditions occur:

The game is automatically a draw if the player to

move is not in check and has no legal move. This
situation is called a stalemate. An example of such a
position is shown in the adjacent diagram.
The game is immediately drawn when there is no
possibility of checkmate for either side with any
series of legal moves. This draw is often due to
insufficient material, including the endgames
 king against king;
king against king and bishop;
king against king and knight;
king and bishop against king and bishop, with
both bishops on squares of the same color (see
Checkmate#Unusual mates).[5]
Both players agree to a draw after one of the players
makes such an offer.

The player having the move may claim a draw by

declaring that one of the following conditions exists, or
by declaring an intention to make a move which will
bring about one of these conditions:

Fifty-move rule: There has been no capture or pawn

move in the last fifty moves by each player, if the
 last move was not a checkmate.
Threefold repetition: The same board position has
occurred three times with the same player to move and
all pieces having the same rights to move, including
the right to castle or capture en passant.

If the claim is proven true, the game is drawn (Schiller

2003:21,26–28).

The above conditions apply to allow a player to claim a

draw. Under current rules, if a player does not claim a
draw, the game is automatically drawn if the same
position occurs five times with the same player to move
or if 75 moves are made by each player with no capture
or pawn move, if the last move is not a checkmate.[6]
At one time, if a player was able to check the opposing
king continually (perpetual check) and the player
indicated their intention to do so, the game was drawn.
This rule is no longer in effect; however, players will
usually agree to a draw in such a situation, since either
the rule on threefold repetition or the fifty-move rule
will eventually be applicable (Staunton 1847:21–22),
(Reinfeld 1954:175).

Time control

A game played under time control will end as a loss for a

player who uses up all of their allotted time, unless the
opponent cannot possibly checkmate him (see Timing).
There are different types of time control. Players may
have a fixed amount of time for the entire game or they
may have to make a certain number of moves within a
specified time. Also, a small increment of time may be
added for each move made.

Competition rules
These rules apply to games played "over the board". There
are special rules for correspondence chess, blitz chess,
computer chess, and for handicapped players.

Act of moving the pieces

The movement of pieces is to be done with one hand. Once

the hand is taken off a piece after moving it, the move
cannot be retracted unless the move is illegal. When
castling, the player should first move the king with one
hand and then move the rook with the same hand
(Schiller 2003:19–20).

In the case of a pawn promotion, if the player releases the

pawn on the eighth rank, the player must promote the
pawn. After the pawn has moved, the player may touch
any piece not on the board and the promotion is not
finalized until the new piece is released on the promotion
square (Just 2014).

Touch-move rule

In serious play, if a player having the move touches a

piece as if having the intention of moving it, then the
player must move it if it can be legally moved. So long
as the hand has not left the piece on a new square, any
legal move can be made with the piece. If a player touches
one of the opponent's pieces then that piece must be
captured if there is a legal move that does so. If none of
the touched pieces can be moved or captured there is no
penalty (Schiller 2003:19–20).

When castling, the king must be the first piece touched.[7]

If the player touches the rook at the same time as
touching the king, the player must castle with that rook
if it is legal to do so. If the player completes a two-
square king move without touching a rook, the player
must move the correct rook accordingly if castling in
that direction is legal. If a player starts to castle
illegally, another legal king move must be made if
possible, including castling with the other rook (Schiller
2003:20).
If a player moves a pawn to its eighth rank, it cannot be
substituted for a different move of the pawn when the
player has stopped touching it. However, the move is not
complete until the promoted piece is released on that
square.

If a player wishes to touch a piece with the intention of

adjusting its position on a square, the player must first
alert the opponent of this intention by saying J'adoube
or "I adjust". Once the game has started, only the player
with the move may touch the pieces on the board
(Schiller 2003:19–20).

Timing
Digital chess clock

Tournament games are played under time constraints,

called time controls, using a chess clock. Players must
make their moves within the time control or forfeit the
game. There are different types of time controls. In some
cases each player will have a certain amount of time to
make a certain number of moves. In other cases each
player will have a limited amount of time to make all of
their moves. Also, the player may gain a small amount of
additional time for each move made, either by a small
increment added for each move made, or by the clock
delaying a small amount of time each time it is started
after the opponent's move (Schiller 2003:21–24).

If a player delivers a checkmate, the game is over and

that player wins, no matter what is subsequently
noticed about the time on the clock.
If player A calls attention to player B being out of
time while player A is not out of time and some
sequence of legal moves leads to B being checkmated
then player A wins automatically.
If player A does not have the possibility of
checkmating B then the game is a draw (Schiller
2003:28).

The United States Chess Federation (USCF) rule is

different. USCF Rule 14E defines "insufficient material to
win on time", that is lone king, king plus knight, king
plus bishop, and king plus two knights opposed by no
pawns, and there is no forced win in the final position.
Hence to win on time with this material, the USCF rule
requires that a win can be forced from that position,
while the FIDE rule merely requires a win to be possible.
(See Monika Soćko rules appeal in 2008 and Women's
World Chess Championship 2008 for a famous instance of
this rule.)

If a player is out of time and also calls attention to

their opponent running out of time, then:
If a sudden death time control is not being used,
the game continues in the next time control
period (Schiller 2003:23).
 if the game is played under a sudden death time
control, then if it can be established which
player ran out of time first, the game is lost by
that player; otherwise the game is drawn
(Schiller 2003:29).

If a player believes that the opponent is attempting to

win the game on time and not by normal means (i.e.
checkmate), if it is a sudden death time control and the
player has less than two minutes remaining, the player
may stop the clocks and claim a draw with the arbiter.
The arbiter may declare the game a draw or postpone the
decision and allot the opponent two extra minutes
(Schiller 2003:21–24,29).[8]

Recording moves
Naming the squares in algebraic notation

A score sheet from a game by José Raúl Capablanca, in descriptive

notation
Each square of the chessboard is identified with a unique
pair of a letter and a number. The vertical files are
labeled a through h, from White's left (i.e. the queenside)
to White's right. Similarly, the horizontal ranks are
numbered from 1 to 8, starting from the one nearest
White's side of the board. Each square of the board, then,
is uniquely identified by its file letter and rank number.
The white king, for example, starts the game on square e1.
The black knight on b8 can move to a6 or c6.

In formal competition, each player is obliged to record

each move as it is played in a chess notation in order to
settle disputes about illegal positions, overstepping time
control, and making claims of draws by the fifty-move
rule or repetition of position. Algebraic chess notation is
the accepted standard for recording games today. There
are other systems such as ICCF numeric notation for
international correspondence chess and the obsolete
descriptive chess notation. The current rule is that a
move must be made on the board before it is written on
paper or recorded with an electronic device.[9][10]

Both players should indicate offers of a draw by writing

"=" at that move on their score sheet (Schiller 2003:27).
Notations about the time on the clocks can be made. If a
player has less than five minutes left to complete all of
their moves, they are not required to record the moves
(unless a delay of at least thirty seconds per move is
being used). The score sheet must be made available to
the arbiter at all times. A player may respond to an
opponent's move before writing it down (Schiller
2003:25–26).
Adjournment

See Adjournment § Chess.

Irregularities

Illegal move

A player who makes an illegal move must retract that

move and make a legal move. That move must be made
with the same piece if possible, because the touch-move
rule applies. If the illegal move was an attempt to castle,
the touch-move rule applies to the king but not to the
rook. The arbiter should adjust the time on the clock
according to the best evidence. If the mistake is only
noticed later on, the game should be restarted from the
position in which the error occurred (Schiller 2003:24–
25). Some regional organizations have different rules.[11]

If blitz chess is being played (in which both players have

a small, limited time, e.g. five minutes) the rule varies. A
player may correct an illegal move if the player has not
pressed their clock. If a player has pressed their clock, the
opponent may claim a win if he or she hasn't moved. If the
opponent moves, the illegal move is accepted and without
penalty (Schiller 2003:77).[12]

According to the FIDE Laws of Chess, the first completed

illegal move is penalized by awarding the opponent two
additional minutes on the clock. The second completed
illegal move by the same player results in the loss of the
game, unless the position is such that it is impossible for
the opponent to win by any series of legal moves (e.g. if
the opponent has a bare king) in which case the game is
drawn.[13] A move is completed when it has been made and
the player has pressed the clock.[14] In rapid chess and
blitz chess, the first completed illegal move results in a
loss.[15]

Illegal position

If it is discovered during the game that the starting

position was incorrect, the game is restarted. If it is
discovered during the game that the board is oriented
incorrectly, the game is continued with the pieces
transferred to a correctly oriented board. If the game
starts with the colors of the pieces reversed, the game
continues (unless the arbiter rules otherwise) (Schiller
2003:24). Some regional organizations have different
rules.[16]

If a player knocks over pieces, it is their responsibility to

restore them to their correct position on their time. If it
is discovered that an illegal move has been made, or that
pieces have been displaced, the game is restored to the
position before the irregularity. If that position cannot
be determined, the game is restored to the last known
correct position (Schiller 2003:24–25).

Conduct

Players may not use any notes, outside sources of

information (including computers), or advice from other
people. Analysis on another board is not permitted.
Scoresheets are to record objective facts about the game
only, such as time on the clock or draw offers. Players
may not leave the competition area without permission
of the arbiter (Schiller 2003:30–31).

High standards of etiquette and ethics are expected.

Players should shake hands before and after the game.
Generally a player should not speak during the game,
except to offer a draw, resign, or to call attention to an
irregularity. An announcement of "check" is commonly
made in informal games but is not recommended in
officially sanctioned games. A player may not distract or
annoy another player by any means, including repeatedly
offering a draw (Schiller 2003:30–31,49–52).
Due to increasing concerns about the use of chess engines
and outside communication, mobile phone usage is banned.
The first forfeit by a high profile player, for their phone
ringing during play, occurred in 2003.[17] In 2014 FIDE
extended this to ban all mobile phones from the playing
area during chess competitions, under penalty of
forfeiture of the game or even expulsion from the
tournament. However, the rules also allow for less rigid
enforcement in amateur events.[18]

Equipment
Pieces at the start of a game and an analog chess clock

The size of the squares of the chessboard should be

approximately 1.25 to 1.3 times the diameter of the base
of the king, or 50 to 65 mm. Squares of approximately
57 mm (21⁄4 inches) normally are well-suited for pieces
with the kings in the preferred size range. The darker
squares are usually brown or green and the lighter squares
are off-white or buff.

Original Staunton chess pieces, introduced in 1849. Left to right: pawn,

rook, knight, bishop, queen, and king
Pieces of the Staunton chess set design are the standard
and are usually made of wood or plastic. They are often
black and white; other colors may be used (like a dark
wood or even red for the dark pieces) but they would still
be called the "white" and "black" pieces (see White and
Black in chess). The height of the king should be 85 to
105 millimetres (3.35–4.13 inches).[19] A height of
approximately 95 to 102 mm (33⁄4–4 inches) is
preferred by most players. The diameter of the king should
be 40 to 50% of its height. The size of the other pieces
should be in proportion to the king. The pieces should be
well balanced (Just 2014).[20]

In games subject to time control, a chess clock is used,

consisting of two adjacent clocks and buttons to stop one
clock while starting the other, such that the two
component clocks never run simultaneously. The clock can
be analog or digital though a digital clock is highly
preferred under both USCF and FIDE rulesets. This is since
most tournaments now include either a time delay (a
countdown to when a clock starts again) or add (extra
time being added prior or after the move) to their time
controls. Before the start of the game, either the arbiter
decides, or whoever is playing Black, where the chess
clock is placed.

History
The rules of chess have evolved much over the centuries
from the early chess-like games played in India in the 6th
century. For much of that time the rules have varied from
area to area. The modern rules first took form in Italy
during the 13th century, giving more mobility to pieces
that previously had more restricted movement (such as
the queen and bishop). Such modified rules entered into an
accepted form during the late 15th century (Hooper &
Whyld 1992:41,328) or early 16th century (Ruch 2004).
The basic moves of the king, rook, and knight are
unchanged. Pawns originally did not have the option of
moving two squares on their first move and promoted
only to a queen if they reached the eighth rank. The queen
was originally the fers or farzin, which could move one
square diagonally in any direction. In European chess it
became able to leap two squares diagonally, forwards,
backwards, or to left or right on its first move; some
areas also gave this right to a newly promoted pawn. In
the Persian and Arabic game the bishop was a pīl
(Persian) or fīl (Arabic) (meaning "elephant") which
moved two squares diagonally with jump (Davidson
1949:13). In the Middle Ages the pawn could only be
promoted to the equivalent of a queen (which at that
time was the weakest piece) if it reached its eighth rank
(Davidson 1949:59–61). During the 12th century the
squares on the board sometimes alternated colors, and
this became the standard in the 13th century (Davidson
1949:146); whence the word "chequered"/"checkered".

Philidor
Between 1200 and 1600 several laws emerged that
drastically altered the game. Checkmate became a
requirement to win; a player could not win by capturing
all of the opponent's pieces. Stalemate was added,
although the outcome has changed several times (see
History of the stalemate rule). Pawns gained the option
of moving two squares on their first move, and the en
passant rule was a natural consequence of that new
option. The king and rook acquired the right to castle
(see Variations throughout history of castling for
different versions of the rule).

Between 1475 and 1500 the queen and the bishop also
acquired their current moves, which made them much
stronger pieces[21] (Davidson 1949:14–17). When all of
these changes were accepted the game was in essentially
its modern form (Davidson 1949:14–17).

The rules for pawn promotion have changed several times.

As stated above, originally the pawn could only be
promoted to the queen, which at that time was a weak
piece. When the queen acquired its current move and
became the most powerful piece, the pawn could then be
promoted to a queen or a rook, bishop, or knight. In the
18th century rules allowed only the promotion to a piece
already captured, e.g. the rules published in 1749 by
François-André Danican Philidor. In the 19th century
this restriction was lifted, which allowed for a player to
have more than one queen, e.g. the 1828 rules by Jacob
Sarratt (Davidson 1949:59–61).
Two new rules concerning draws were introduced, each of
which have changed through the years:

The threefold repetition rule was added, although at

some times up to six repetitions have been required,
and the exact conditions have been specified more
clearly (see Threefold repetition#History).
The fifty-move rule was also added. At various times,
the number of moves required was different, such as 24,
60, 70, or 75. For several years in the 20th century,
the standard fifty moves was extended to one hundred
moves for a few specific endgames (see Fifty-move
rule's history).

Another group of new laws included (1) the touch-move

rule and the accompanying "j'adoube/adjust" rule; (2) that
White moves first (in 1889[22]); (3) the orientation of
the board; (4) the procedure if an illegal move was made;
(5) the procedure if the king had been left in check for
some moves; and (6) issues regarding the behavior of
players and spectators. The Staunton chess set was
introduced in 1849 and it became the standard style of
pieces. The size of pieces and squares of the board was
standardized (Hooper & Whyld 1992:220–21, laws,
history of).

Until the middle of the 19th century, chess games were

played without any time limit. In an 1834 match
between Alexander McDonnell and Louis-Charles Mahé de
La Bourdonnais, McDonnell took an inordinate amount of
time to move, sometimes up to 1½ hours. In 1836 Pierre
Charles Fournier de Saint-Amant suggested a time limit,
but no action was taken. At the 1851 London
tournament, Staunton blamed his loss in his match
against Elijah Williams on Williams' slow play; one
game was adjourned for the day after only 29 moves.[23]
The next year a match between Daniel Harrwitz and
Johann Löwenthal used a limit of 20 minutes per
move.The first use of a modern-style time limit was in
an 1861 match between Adolph Anderssen and Ignác
Kolisch (Sunnucks 1970:459).

Codification
 FIDE rulebook, Official Chess
1989 Rulebook, by
Harkness (1970
edition)

The first known publication of chess rules was in a book

by Luis Ramírez de Lucena about 1497, shortly after the
movement of the queen, bishop, and pawn were changed to
their modern form (Just 2014). Ruy López de Segura gave
rules of chess in his 1561 book Libro de la invencion
liberal y arte del juego del axedrez (Sunnucks 1970:294).
In the 16th and 17th centuries, there were local
differences concerning rules such as castling, pawn
promotion, stalemate, and en passant. Some of these
differences persisted until the 19th century (Harkness
1967:3); for example differences in castling rules
persisted in Italy until the late 19th century.

As chess clubs arose and tournaments became common,

there was a need to formalize the rules. In 1749 Philidor
(1726–1795) wrote a set of rules that were widely used,
as well as rules by later writers such as the 1828 rules
by Jacob Sarratt (1772–1819) and rules by George
Walker (1803–1879). In the 19th century, many major
clubs published their own rules, including The Hague in
1803, London in 1807, Paris in 1836, and St. Petersburg
in 1854. In 1851 Howard Staunton (1810–1874) called
for a "Constituent Assembly for Remodeling the Laws of
Chess" and proposals by Tassilo von Heydebrand und der
Lasa (1818–1889) were published in 1854. Staunton had
published rules in Chess Player's Handbook in 1847, and
his new proposals were published in 1860 in Chess Praxis;
they were generally accepted in English-speaking
countries. German-speaking countries usually used the
writings of chess authority Johann Berger (1845–1933)
or Handbuch des Schachspiels by Paul Rudolf von Bilguer
(1815–1840), first published in 1843.

In 1924, Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) was

formed and in 1929 it took up the task of standardizing
the rules. At first FIDE tried to establish a universal set
of rules, but translations to various languages differed
slightly. Although FIDE rules were used for international
competition under their control, some countries
continued to use their own rules internally (Hooper &
Whyld 1992:220–21). In 1952 FIDE created the
Permanent Commission for the Rules of Chess (also known
as the Rules Commission) and published a new edition of
the rules. The third official edition of the laws was
published in 1966. The first three editions of the rules
were published in French, with that as the official
version. In 1974 FIDE published the English version of the
rules (which was based on an authorized 1955
translation). With that edition, English became the
official language of the rules. Another edition was
published in 1979. Throughout this time, ambiguities in
the laws were handled by frequent interpretations that
the Rules Commission published as supplements and
amendments. In 1982 the Rules Commission rewrote the
laws to incorporate the interpretations and amendments
(FIDE 1989:7–8). In 1984 FIDE abandoned the idea of a
universal set of laws, although FIDE rules are the
standard for high-level play (Hooper & Whyld
1992:220–21). With the 1984 edition, FIDE implemented
a four-year moratorium between changes to the rules.
Other editions were issued in 1988 and 1992 (FIDE
1989:5), (Just 2014).

The rules of national FIDE affiliates (such as the United

States Chess Federation, or USCF) are based on the FIDE
rules, with slight variations (Just 2014).[24] Kenneth
Harkness published popular rulebooks in the United States
starting in 1956, and the USCF continues to publish
rulebooks for use in tournaments it sanctions.

In 2008, FIDE added the variant Chess960 to the appendix

of the "Laws of Chess". Chess960 uses a random initial
set-up of main pieces, with the conditions that the king
is placed somewhere between the two rooks, and bishops
on opposite-color squares. The castling rules are extended
to cover all these positions.[25]

In the 21st century, rules about such things as mobile

phones and unauthorised use of chess engines were
introduced.

Variations
From time to time, rules have been introduced at certain
tournaments to discourage players from agreeing to short
draws. One such case was the "no drawing or resigning
during the first 30 moves" rule used at the 2009 London
Chess Classic.[26]

See also
 Algebraic chess notation
Cheating in chess
Chess
Chessboard
Chess clock
Chess glossary
Chess piece
Chess tournament

Specific rules

Adjournment (games) (rare now)

Castling
Check
Checkmate
 Draw
Draw by agreement
En passant
Fifty-move rule
Perpetual check (former rule)
Promotion
Stalemate
Threefold repetition
Time control
Touch-move rule

Notes
1. When promoting a pawn, a piece previously
captured and removed from the board is often used
 as the "new" promoted piece. The new piece is
nevertheless regarded as distinct from the original
captured piece; the physical piece is used simply
for convenience. Moreover, the player's choice for
promotion is not restricted to pieces that were
previously captured.
2. It is not allowed to move both king and rook in
the same time, because "each move must be made
with one hand only" (article 4.1 of FIDE Laws of
Chess).
3. Without this additional restriction, it would be
possible to promote a pawn on the e file to a rook
and then castle vertically across the board (as
long as the other conditions are met). This way of
castling was "discovered" by Max Pam and used by
 Tim Krabbé in a chess puzzle before the FIDE rules
were amended in 1972 to disallow it. See Chess
Curiosities by Krabbé, see also de:Pam-Krabbé-
Rochade for the diagrams online.
4. According to International Arbiter Eric Schiller,
if the proper piece is not available, an inverted
rook may be used to represent a queen, or the pawn
on its side can be used and the player should
indicate which piece it represents. In a formal chess
match with an arbiter present, the arbiter should
replace the pawn or inverted rook with the proper
piece (Schiller 2003:18–19)
5. With a king and bishop versus a king and bishop, a
checkmate is not possible if the bishops are on the
 same color of squares but checkmate is possible if
they are on opposite colors.
6. FIDE Laws of Chess, article 9.6
7. The United States Chess Federation has a
variation that tournament directors can use. If a
player intending to castle touches the rook first,
there is no penalty. However, if castling is illegal,
the touch-move rule applies to the rook. This
variation does not have to be announced in pre-
tournament publicity but should be announced at
the start of the tournament. "Rulebook Changes"
(pdf).
8. The USCF does not have this exact rule. However,
under USCF rules, if a player has less than two
minutes left in a sudden-death time control, they
 may claim a draw because of "insufficient losing
chances". If the director upholds their claim, the
game is drawn. That is defined as a position in
which a class C (1400-1599 rating) player would
have a less than 10% chance of losing the position
to a master (2200 and up rating), if both have
sufficient time (Just 2014).
9. In a variation of the rules, a USCF director may
allow players to write their move on a paper score
sheet (but not enter it electronically) before
making the move. Ref: USCF rule changes as of
August 2007 (requires registration) or PDF
retrieved Dec 4, 2009. "Rule 15A. (Variation I)
Paper scoresheet variation. The player using a
paper scoresheet may first make the move, and then
write it on the scoresheet, or vice versa. This
 variation does not need to be advertised in
advance."
10. Before this was the rule, Mikhail Tal and others
were in the habit of writing the move before
making it on the board. Unlike other players, Tal
did not hide the move after he had written it – he
liked to watch for the reaction of his opponent
before he made the move. Sometimes he crossed out
a move he had written and wrote a different move
instead (Timman 2005:83).
11. The USCF requires that only an illegal move
within the last ten moves be corrected. If the
illegal move was more than ten moves ago, the
game continues (Just 2014).
12. If the player has pressed their clock, the standard
USCF rule is that two minutes are added to the
offender's opponent's clock. An alternative USCF
rule is that the opponent can claim a win by
forfeit if the player has not touched a piece. If the
player has left their king in check, the opponent
may touch the piece that is giving check, remove
the opponent's king, and claim a win (Just 2014).
13. FIDE Laws of Chess , article 7.5.b
14. FIDE Laws of Chess, article 6.2.a
15. FIDE Laws of Chess, article A.4.b
16. The USCF rules are different. If before Black's tenth
move is completed it is discovered that the initial
position was wrong or that the colors were
reversed, the game is restarted with the correct
 initial position and colors. If the discovery is
made after the tenth move, the game continues
(Just 2014).
17. "I just called to say... you’re disqualified!" , The
Scotsman, 19 October 2003
18. New FIDE anti-cheating rules , ChessBase, 17
September 2014
19. The 1988 and 2006 FIDE rules specify 85–
105 mm;(FIDE 1989:121) the 2008 rules simply
say "about 95 mm".
20. The US Chess Federation allows the height of the
king to be 86–114 mm (33⁄8–41⁄2 inches) (Just
2014).
21. A History of Chess
22. Scholar's Mate issue 102
23. Howard Staunton, The Chess Tournament - A
Collection of Games Played at this Celebrated
Assemblage, London 1852, p161
24. Schiller states that the United States is the only
country that does not follow the FIDE rules. Some
of the differences in the US Chess Federation rules
are (1) a player must have a reasonably complete
score sheet to claim a time forfeit and (2) the
player can choose whether or not to use a clock
with a delay period for each move (Schiller
2003:123–24). Some other differences are noted
above.
25. FIDE Handbook E.I.01B. Appendices
26. pages W1 and W2 of "Weekend" supplement of the
Daily Telegraph newspaper for 21 November 2009
References
Burgess, Graham (2009), The Mammoth Book of Chess
(3rd ed.), Running Press, ISBN 978-0-7624-3726-9
Davidson, Henry (1949), A Short History of Chess
(1981 ed.), McKay, ISBN 0-679-14550-8
FIDE (1989), The Official Laws of Chess, Macmillan,
ISBN 0-02-028540-X
FIDE (2008), FIDE Laws of Chess , FIDE, ISBN 0-
9594355-2-2, retrieved 2008-09-10
Harkness, Kenneth (1967), Official Chess Handbook,
McKay
Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1992), The Oxford
Companion to Chess (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press,
ISBN 0-19-280049-3
Just, Tim (2014), U.S. Chess Federation's Official
Rules of Chess (6th ed.), McKay, ISBN 0-8129-3559-4
Polgar, Susan; Truong, Paul (2005), A World
Champion's Guide to Chess, Random House, ISBN 978-
0-8129-3653-7
Reinfeld, Fred (1954), How To Be A Winner At Chess,
Fawcett, ISBN 0-449-91206-X
Ruch, Eric (2004), The Italian Rules , ICCF, retrieved
2008-09-10
Schiller, Eric (2003), Official Rules of Chess (2nd
ed.), Cardoza, ISBN 978-1-58042-092-1
Staunton, Howard (1847), The Chess-Player's
Handbook, London: H. G. Bohn, pp. 21–22, ISBN 0-
7134-5056-8 (1985 Batsford reprint, ISBN 1-85958-
005-X)
 Sunnucks, Anne (1970), The Encyclopaedia of Chess,
St. Martin's Press (2nd ed.), ISBN 978-0-7091-4697-
1
Timman, Jan (2005), Curaçao 1962: The Battle of
Minds that Shook the Chess World, New in Chess,
ISBN 978-90-5691-139-3

Further reading
Golombek, Harry, ed. (1976), The Laws of Chess and
their Interpretations, Pitman, ISBN 0-273-00119-1
Golombek, Harry (1977), Golombek's Encyclopedia of
Chess, Crown Publishing, ISBN 0-517-53146-1
Harkness, Kenneth (1970), Official Chess Rulebook,
McKay, ISBN 0-679-13028-4

External links
 FIDE Laws of Chess
FIDE equipment standards
USCF Learn to play chess
USCF Let's Play Chess
USCF clock rules

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