History of Chess:
- Chess originated in northern India in the 6th century as "chaturanga".
- It spread to Persia, becoming "shatranj".
- Spread through the Muslim world into Europe.
- Modern chess emerged in 15th century Europe.
- First official tournament: London 1851.
- FIDE was founded in 1924.
- Deep Blue beat Kasparov in 1997.
- Online play boosted popularity.
- Millions play worldwide today.
Did you know?
- “Checkmate” is from Persian “Shāh Māt”, meaning “the king is helpless”.
Famous Checkmate Patterns:
- Back-rank mate
- Smothered mate
- Scholar’s Mate
- Fool’s Mate
- Arabian Mate
🧠 How to Play:
- Click a piece, then a square to move.
- Legal squares will highlight if hints are enabled.
- Capture by moving onto an opponent's piece.
- To reset click "Start Position" under "Opening Positions"area.
- Choose famous openings like Ruy Lopez or Sicilian Defense to explore strategies.
- Toggle fullscreen for immersive gameplay.
- Switch themes using the dropdown for preferable appearance.
♟️ Piece Movement:
- Pawn: Moves forward one square (or two on its first move), captures diagonally.
- Rook: Moves in straight lines — horizontally or vertically.
- Bishop: Moves diagonally any number of squares.
- Knight: Moves in an "L" shape (two squares in one direction, then one perpendicular).
- Queen: Combines rook and bishop — moves any number of squares in any direction.
- King: Moves one square in any direction; must avoid check.
📜 General Rules:
- 16 pieces per side, White moves first.
- Goal: Checkmate the king.
- Castling: Move king and rook simultaneously under specific conditions (safety and no moved pieces).
- En passant: A special pawn capture that occurs when an opponent moves two squares forward from the starting rank.
- Draws occur by stalemate, threefold repetition, or the 50-move rule.
💡 Tips & Strategies:
- You can't move into check.
- Promotion: A pawn reaching the 8th rank is promoted, usually to a queen.
- Game ends when king is checkmated or stalemate.