Quick setup

Start playing Chess

Choose local or remote play, pick who is playing each side, and jump straight into the board.

ⓘ How to start ⓘ Full guide

Game mode

Single Screen/PC · vs. a friend or AI

White

Black

AI Difficulty

Chess Online

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Chess is a two-player strategy game played on an 8×8 board. Each piece moves differently - the goal is to trap your opponent’s king.
Challenge a friend or test your skill against our AI.

Read the full Chess guide →
Complete rules with diagrams, strategy, and FAQ.

How to start

In the quick setup.

Choose game mode - Local or Remote
- Local - one screen, one computer. Face a friend sitting next to you, or take on the AI solo.
- Remote - play online from different locations. Click Create game to get a 6-digit code, share it with your opponent, and they join instantly.
For Local setup
- Set White and Black to be a Human (you) or challenge the AI.
- If you choose the AI, pick the AI difficulty (1 (easy) - 5 (deep thinking)).
- Want a timed game? Pick 3 Min, 5 Min or 10 Min at the top of the card. The default is No Clock.
- After choosing sides and opponent, click Start game to start.
For Remote setup
- Create Game
  - Choose your preferred side (White / Black).
  - Press Create Game.
  - Pass the 6-digit code to your friend.
  - Wait for your friend to connect as well.
- Join Game
  - Get the code from your friend (the creator of the game).
  - No need to touch the setup - the creator defines all params.
  - Write the game code in the Code text box.
  - Press Join.
  - The game starts as soon as the connection is established.
- When a game ends, you can immediately start a new one with the same parameters, or change the configuration and try differently.

Step-by-step setup with screenshots in the Chess FAQ →

How to play

Click any of your pieces to see its legal moves (highlighted squares).
Click a highlighted square to move there.
White always moves first. Turns alternate.
Capture opponent pieces by moving onto their square.
Special moves. Castling, en passant, and pawn promotion are all supported.
When promoted, choose your new piece from the popup.

Game rules

Objective Checkmate the opponent’s king (king in check with no legal escape).

Piece moves

♙ Pawn Forward one square (two from start), captures diagonally.
♖ Rook Any number of squares horizontally or vertically.
♗ Bishop Any number of squares diagonally.
♘ Knight L-shape (2+1 squares), jumps over pieces.
♕ Queen Any number of squares in any direction.
♔ King One square in any direction.

End conditions Checkmate, stalemate (draw), threefold repetition (draw), or 50-move rule (draw).

Full rules with board diagrams → · Strategy guide →

Try another game

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Backgammon Dice strategy, checker movement, and race tactics.

Dominion Original hex strategy - control territory, supply lines, and siege the enemy Nexus.

Walls Strategic race, block your opponent's path while protecting your own.

About Chess

Chess on Sartaba Mind Games is built for players of every level - whether you’re learning the pieces or grinding long endgames.
Our AI improves from real gameplay, so every match you play sharpens the challenge for everyone.
We’re always open to ideas, improvements, and feedback from the community - this site grows with the people who use it.

Get in touch

Spotted a bug, have a suggestion, or just want to talk chess?
Reach out at

Learn the game. Then beat the AI.

Rules

Strategy

FAQ

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Learn the game. Then beat the AI.

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