Learn to Play
A short, hands-on path through the basics — for anyone brand new to chess, or just want a refresher. Sparrow's placement games calibrate difficulty once you already know how to play; this is what comes before that.
1
How the pieces move
Pawns move straight ahead one square (two squares on their very first move), but they CAPTURE diagonally — a pawn can never capture the piece directly in front of it.
2
Check and checkmate
"Check" means the king is under attack right now — the player in check must get out of it immediately (move the king, block the attack, or capture the attacker) before doing anything else.
3
The fork
A fork is one piece attacking two or more enemy pieces at the same time. Since the opponent can only save one piece per turn, a fork often just wins material outright.
4
The pin
A pin immobilizes an enemy piece by threatening a more valuable piece — or the king — directly behind it on the same rank, file, or diagonal.
5
Opening principles
Three ideas carry most of the opening: control the center (the four central squares are worth more than any others), develop your knights and bishops before anything else, and castle early to get your king to safety.