Royal Chess
Play a complete game of chess against a computer opponent with three strengths. All the rules are here, including castling, en passant, promotion and draws.
How to play
- You play White and move first. Tap a piece to see where it can go, then tap a highlighted square to move it.
- When a pawn reaches the far row, choose a queen, rook, bishop or knight to promote to.
- Pick Easy, Medium or Hard before you start. Hard searches deeper and thinks for up to two seconds a move.
- Checkmate wins. A stalemate, the fifty-move rule, a threefold repetition or too little material to mate is a draw. Undo takes back your last move and the reply, and Resign ends the game.
Tips and strategy
- Control the centre early and develop your knights and bishops before you move the same piece twice.
- Castle early to tuck your king away and bring a rook into play.
- Before every move, check what the computer is attacking. Most beginner losses are a piece left hanging.
- Use Undo freely while you are learning. The record only counts games you finish.
FAQ
- Does it know every chess rule?
- Yes. Castling, en passant, promotion, check, checkmate, stalemate, the fifty-move rule, threefold repetition and insufficient material are all implemented.
- How strong is Hard?
- It searches several moves ahead with a standard evaluation, which is plenty for club-level practice but beatable with careful play. Easy and Medium deliberately play weaker.
- Can I play as Black?
- Not yet. You always play White so the board stays the right way up.