International Master

Javier Gil

The (simplified) rules of chess

By I.M. Javier Gil

The rules of chess simplified (a lot!)

Apart from the basic rules on how the chess pieces move, how we set up the board, etc. there are a
few more. Of course, some of these rules cannot be enforced when playing a friendly game, but others
can. For example, if you're playing a game with a friend, you can talk over whether you wish to enforce
the "touch piece touch move" rule or not.
Anyway, I'll try to make this as simple as possible:

o White moves first, then players alternate moves until the game ends in checkmate (or one player
gives up) or a draw.
o If you're playing an official tournament, the referee will announce the pairings (normally done by
a chess computer) and chances are you'll be alternating colors for each one of your games, but
it is quite possible that you play 2 games in a row repeating colors.
o If you're just playing a friendly game rather than a tournament game, then colors are chosen by
mutual agreement. If that's not possible, then the normal procedure is to conceal a white Pawn
in one hand and a black Pawn in the other. The other player picks a hand and plays that color.
o If a player having the move touches one of his pieces, then he must move it (provided there's a
legal move with that piece).
o This is why you should think very carefully before touching a piece to make a move! lots of errors and
blunders happen like this, I see kids blundering pieces and Queens like that all the time...
o So long as the hand has not left the piece to be moved, the piece can be placed on any accessible
square.
o Although this is true, it is considered extremely impolite to touch a piece and leave your hand on it for
longer than it is strictly necessary. In fact, if the game is played under tournament conditions, the arbiter
will probably intervene and give you a warning.
o If a player wishes to adjust the position of a piece on a square, he must first tell his opponent of
his intention by saying "J'adoube" or "I adjust". Failure to do so might result in your opponent
demanding that you move that piece.
o If an illegal move is made by one of the players during the game, he must retract that move and
make another one with the same piece he had used to make the illegal move, unless there's no
legal move available with that piece. If the mistake is only noticed later on, the game should be
restarted from the position in which the error occurred.
o In friendly games played between beginners, it is customary to announce checks so that the other
player knows that his King is under attack. However, in tournament play this is unnecessary and may be
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considered distracting or even rude as both players are supposed to be good enough to know that the last
move was a check.

Was that all? well, there are a few more rules of course, but you don't really need much else for
the time being!

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