Play online for free: chess

You can play the online game of chess comfortably at home or on the go at any time.

Which device you prefer for gaming is entirely up to you.

Play chess on the go on your mobile phone, look forward to a lunchtime game on the computer or make yourself comfortable and play chess on your tablet.

What is chess

Chess was already played in the early Middle Ages. Today it is a globally known strategic board game, which provides for new game processes and exciting games again and again due to the almost infinite range of moves. Chess tournaments exist all over the world, from private games at home to regional tournaments and national competitions to the World Chess Championship. In addition, the game is even recognized as a sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)!

In chess, two parties play against each other and try to checkmate the respective opponent by strategically moving their pieces on the game board. You don't need complicated math to win a game of chess. The key to success is logical and, above all, strategic and tactical skill in order to target the opposing king until it is no longer possible to defend or escape. Then the game of chess is won. But be careful: even if you have mastered the rules of the game, it can be tricky to beat an experienced opponent in a tactical manner.

There are now numerous chess programs and computer games in which the opposing side is taken over by a chess computer.

This is also the case with the free online chess game from the FAZ. Here you can play chess online in the browser of your choice, without any download whatsoever.

The game is played according to the classic rules of chess - you can check, mate or mate your opponent or end it with a draw.

The online game of chess is absolutely free for you and you do not have to register online.

The puzzle mode: solve tricky chess puzzles online

Do you want to put your chess knowledge to the test?

Select the puzzle mode and discover a total of 30 levels of pure puzzle fun!

Start with chess level 1 and solve tricky tasks to win the game.

The aim is to resolve tricky chess situations and to beat the opponent in as few moves as possible.

At the beginning you will be introduced to the task to be solved and the playing field shown.

Now you can prepare: How can you complete the task in the given steps?

When you are ready, start the game by clicking “Next”.

You have won your online game of chess in puzzle mode as soon as you checkmate your opposing player or your draw offer has been accepted by the computer.

Tips and solution strategies for the puzzle mode

If your answer is not correct, you can start the puzzle over as often as you like.

To undo a move, click on the arrow labeled “Back” in the lower right corner.

If you do not know what to do next in the course of the game, tap or click on the lightbulb labeled “Tips” in the lower right corner to display the next possible move.

But be careful: you can only receive one tip per game and only undo one move.

If you want to pause or cancel the game, click on "Pause" in the upper right corner.

How to win the chess puzzle mode in 3 steps

The free game: play chess online against the computer

Alternatively, you can play a classic game of chess against the computer.

To do this, select the "Free Game" mode.

The aim of free play is to attack the opposing king in such a way that he no longer has a chance to escape a chess game.

So plan your moves well and outsmart the computer!

At the beginning you can choose which color you want to play: black or white.

You also have the option of setting the level of difficulty yourself.

You can choose between easy, medium and difficult.

If you have any questions about the game, click on the question mark.

Help is then displayed, in which everything important is explained again.

Once you have selected everything, you can start your game.

To do this, tap or click the "Play" button.

Now play your game of chess against the computer.

To move a chess piece, you can click on the chess piece and then on the target square, or you can hold the chess piece with the mouse pointer and move it to the target square.

Make sure that you only move your chess pieces according to their gait.

At the top right you can pause the game at any time.

Directly next to the pause symbol you can see which player is currently on the move.

A time measurement is displayed underneath which you can read at any time how long you have been playing.

You can also see how long it took you to make your last move and how many or which moves you have already made.

If you get stuck in the game, you have various options:

You can

your last 

by clicking "Back" in the lower right corner.

But be careful: You can undo a maximum of three moves per game.

If necessary, you can also receive a 

.

To do this, click on "Tips" at the bottom right.

The computer now calculates a next move that is favorable for you.

The chess piece and its target square are then circled in yellow.

Again, you should make sure that you can only use three tips per game.

Alternatively, you can

the computer

at any time 

 and end the game of chess in a draw.

To do this, click on “Offer a draw” and confirm.

The most important rules of chess at a glance

The basic rules of chess are not difficult to understand, which is why children often enjoy the game.

Discover the most important chess terms and the pace of the pieces at a glance and learn more about the three most important special moves in chess: “castling”, “en passant” and “pawn conversion”.

There are numerous technical terms and special moves in chess.

Here you will find a brief overview of the most important chess terms.

Apply your knowledge directly to the next game of online chess!

• Chess

  : The king is threatened directly by an opposing piece.

• Matt

  : The king is already threatened by a chess and the chess player cannot take another move to free the king from this situation.

  Often this is called "checkmate".

• Stalemate

  : The chess player can no longer make a regular move, but his king is currently not threatened by a chess.

• Draw

  : If the chess player offers his opponent a draw, the game can also end in a draw.

  A draw can in principle always be offered, but it is often pronounced in a stalemate situation or in the so-called dead position.

  The game of chess is in the dead position when there is no longer any possibility for both players to checkmate their opponent.

  So there is a draw.

• Castling

  : Castling is a special double move in chess that may only be used in exceptional situations. Castling can be used when the king is threatened with an attack by an opposing chess piece. In such a case, the king may castle as an exception, that is, move two squares to the left or right in the direction of a tower. At the same time, the rook jumps over the king and is moved to his immediate neighboring square.

• En passant

  : The special move "en passant" enables the chess player to beat a passing pawn in a special way. The following situation can lead to an “en passant”: The chess player's pawn is above the center line of the chessboard, i.e. approximately at the height of the fifth row. If the opponent moves his pawn two squares forward and past him from the basic position, the opposing pawn can be captured en passant as if he had only moved one square. The chess player's pawn now moves diagonally to the next square and although the opponent's piece has actually been moved one square, it is captured by this move. However, only if the move takes place directly on the next move after the opposing pawn has left the basic position.

• Pawn

  , Give it a farmer to cross the chessboard once and to get to the opponent's back rank can you convert it to another character.

  To do this, the pawn is removed from the board and replaced by a queen, a rook, a bishop or a knight.

  You can then continue to play with the new figure.

The structure of the chessboard and the chess line-up

A classic chess board has 64 fields that are alternately colored in black and white. On the opposite side, the rows on the board are labeled with the letters A to H and the numbers 1 to 8. Turn your board game so that each player finds a black field in the lower left corner of the board and a white field on the right. The player with the white pieces should see the lettering "A 1" at the bottom left. For the player with the black pieces, the field at the bottom left should be labeled "H 8".

Now arrange your pieces according to the following chess arrangement: Place the queen in row 1 or 8 on the middle white field.

Place the king on the adjacent square to the right of it.

Next to the king and queen come the two bishops, followed by the two jumpers (also popularly known as “little horses”).

The chessboard ends with the rooks at the very outside.

Finally, the pawns are placed in rows 2 and 7 respectively.

The gaits of the pawns: This is how you can place your pawns in the game

You play with a total of 16 pawns:

• 8 farmers

• 2 towers

• 2 jumpers

• 2 runners

• 1 lady

• 1 king

Each type of pawn, for example the queen, all rooks, bishops, pawns, etc., each have their own gait.

This determines how they can be moved on the chess field:

The 

is the most important piece in chess and, unlike the other pieces, cannot be captured.

For this he can be mated, which leads to the end of the game.

The king can move one square in all directions (except for castling, he can move two squares as an exception).

The 

can move any number of squares in all directions and is therefore the strongest pawn in chess.

Only if it meets another pawn on its way is its path limited - it cannot jump over opposing pawns.

The 

may only be moved diagonally.

He cannot jump over opposing pieces either, which is why his path can be limited accordingly.

The 

may be moved a total of three spaces per turn.

It must be noted that he can only move to fields that are not on the same row or diagonal as his previous location - he must therefore jump.

Accordingly, you can have your knight jump two spaces horizontally or vertically and then one space to the left or right.

The knight is the only chess piece that can jump over other pieces.

The 

is the second strongest piece after the queen, because it can advance vertically or horizontally until its path is blocked by another piece.

He is not allowed to skip this either.

If the 

moves out of the starting position, he may move up to two squares vertically.

In the game itself he is only allowed to move one space forward and never backward.

The pawn can only capture other pieces diagonally.