Chess
The timeless game of strategy and intellect.
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Chess is a two-player strategy game played on an 8x8 board with alternating light and dark squares.[1][2] FIDE, the International Chess Federation, publishes the official rules of chess in its Handbook.[3] A player wins by putting the opponent's king in a position where it is under attack and cannot move out of that attack.[4]
Last updated 2026-10-08 from the source article.
Making and release
The rules of chess are published by FIDE in its Handbook, though national bodies may differ in some details.[3] In competitions, piece colors are normally allocated by organizers, but occasionally decided by lot.[5] During the 1980s, the USCF adopted different time-keeping rules from those used by FIDE.[6] The board is set up so that the square in the bottom right corner of each player is a light-colored one.[1][2]
Every square on the second rank is occupied by a pawn.[3] A Jenga game, which the Chinese team won, determined which side played white in the first round of the 2001 U.S. China Chess Summit.[5]
What the cited sources add
The FIDE Laws of Chess state that the game is played between two opponents who move pieces on a square board called a chessboard.[1][2] FIDE's equipment standards require chess pieces to be in the Staunton style and made of wood, plastic, or imitation materials.[7] The FIDE Laws specify that a player who arrives after the default time loses the game unless the arbiter decides otherwise.[2] A player may pause the chessclock only to seek the arbiter's assistance, such as when a promotion piece is not available.[1]
The FIDE Laws note that the English text is the authentic version, adopted at the 93rd FIDE Congress in Chennai, India, effective 1 January 2023.[2]
References
- "Fide Laws of Chess taking effect from 1 January 2023", FIDE. facts only, no text reused. handbook.fide.com
- "E. MISCELLANEOUS / 01. Laws of Chess / FIDE Laws of Chess taking effect from 1 January 2023 / FIDE Handbook", International Chess Federation (FIDE). facts only, no text reused. handbook.fide.com
- Wikipedia, "Chess" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Fide Laws of Chess taking effect from 1 January 2023", FIDE (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chess" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: United States Chess Federation., "U.S. Chess Federation's official rules of chess", Random House Puzzles and Games, 2003 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chess" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "U.S. – China Chess Summit, US- China First Round: 5.5 – 4.5", Seattle Chess Foundation, 2001 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chess" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: U. S. Chess Federation, "United States Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess, Sixth Edition", Diversified Publishing, 10 June 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "C. General Rules and Technical Recommendations for Tournaments / 02. Chess Equipment / 01. Standards of Chess Equipment / FIDE Handbook", International Chess Federation (FIDE). facts only, no text reused. handbook.fide.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Chess (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Chess (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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