Chess Concepts
Every rule explained on a board you play it on - perform the move, and be told why not when it is refused.
The pieces
Chess Pieces
Pick up any piece and watch where it may go - all six, on a board with legality on.
The Pawn
Push it two squares, capture diagonally, and walk it home to make a queen.
The Knight
The only piece that jumps - get it out where nothing else can move at all.
The Bishop
Diagonals only, which leaves half the board closed to it for the whole game.
The Rook
Straight lines at any distance - and the same fourteen squares from anywhere.
The Queen
A rook and a bishop in one piece, and worth more than both together.
The King
One square in any direction, except the ones that would cost it the game.
Special rules
Winning the game
Checkmate
The three conditions at once - deliver the back-rank mate and the smothered mate yourself.
Stalemate
Positions one move apart - you call each one, the board keeps score.
Scholar's Mate
Play the four-move mate, then play the defence against it.
Fool's Mate
The two-move checkmate, played out - and the one pawn move that stops it.
Basic Checkmates
The ladder, the rook mate, and the endings that cannot mate at all.
Tactics and terms
The Fork
One piece, two targets - and the knight your queen can never answer.
The Pin
Try to move the pinned piece and the board tells you why not.
The Skewer
The pin turned around - the valuable piece in front has to move.
Zugzwang
Every legal move gives ground - and passing is not allowed.
Chess Terms
Open file, outpost, passed pawn, luft - each on the board it describes.
Elo Rating
A prediction, not a score - and the board skill it is really measuring.
The game itself
