Every rule, a real engine, no download

Sit down at a marble and walnut board in a quiet study. Every rule is here — castling, en passant, promotion, the fifty-move rule, threefold repetition — and behind the pieces sits a real engine that searches, remembers its openings and will punish a loose move.

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Genre: Board game
Controls: Touch
Mouse
Keyboard
Devices: Desktop
Tablet
Mobile
Released: 2026

Did you like Chess?

Chess

Chess on a board of cream and dark-green marble in a walnut frame, with gold coordinates cut into the rail and ivory and ebony men that cast a soft shadow on the stone. A brass reading lamp burns at one corner of the leather desk mat, a stack of books leans beside it and a wooden clock ticks between the two of you. Tap a man and the squares he can reach fill with gold dots; drag him instead if you would rather. The last move stays lit in gold and a red glow finds the king the moment he is in check.

The rules are all of them. Castling on both wings with every condition checked, capture in passing, promotion with a picker that offers all four pieces, stalemate, the fifty-move rule, threefold repetition and positions where neither side has enough material left to mate. The move generator is proved against the standard perft counts to depth four, so a move that is legal on a wooden board is legal here, and one that is not will never be offered.

The opponent runs in a thread of its own, so the board never freezes while it thinks. It searches with alpha-beta and iterative deepening, orders captures before quiet moves, sits on a few dozen main openings and weighs pawn structure, mobility and how exposed each king has become. Easy glances at the position and moves, Normal takes about a second, and Sharp thinks for two and a half and tends to find the tactic. Play white or black, or pass the device between two players — in face-to-face mode the board turns side-on so both of you see it the same way round and each scoreboard faces its owner. There is an optional clock at 5, 10 or 15+10, undo, a hint, a board flip, the moves listed in proper notation, a game you can export as PGN, and forty hand-made mate puzzles when you would rather solve than play.

Tips for Chess

Tap a man in Chess and gold dots show every square he can reach, so use them to check your options before you commit. The last move stays lit in gold, which makes it easy to see what your opponent has just done, and a red glow marks a king in check. Before each move, ask what that last move threatens, because the Sharp engine tends to find the tactic if you leave a piece loose.

Start against Easy, which glances at the position and moves, then try Normal, which thinks for about a second. If a game goes wrong, U undoes a move and H shows a hint, so you can replay a mistake and look for a better line. The forty puzzles are a good way to train your eye for finishing a game, since each one is a mate in one or two. When you want a time limit, the optional clock offers 5, 10 or 15+10, and you can export any game as PGN to look at later.

How to play Chess

The goal in Chess is to checkmate the other king: to attack it so that it cannot escape. Each side starts with sixteen pieces: a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. White moves first, and the players take turns, one move each.

Each piece moves in its own way. The rook moves along rows and columns, the bishop along diagonals, and the queen does both. The knight jumps in an L shape and can leap over other pieces. The king moves one square in any direction. Pawns move forward one square, or two on their first move, and capture one square diagonally forward. A piece is captured when an enemy piece moves onto its square. Kiloo's Chess also has every special rule: castling, en passant, and promotion when a pawn reaches the far side.

When your king is attacked it is in check, and you must get it out of check. If you cannot, it is checkmate and the game is over. A game can also be drawn by stalemate, the fifty-move rule, threefold repetition or a position where neither side can mate.

Tap a piece and gold dots show where it can go, then tap a dot or drag the piece there. On a computer you can click or use the arrow keys and Enter. U undoes a move, H shows a hint, F flips the board, P pauses and M mutes.

About Chess

Chess is one of the oldest board games still played, a game of pure strategy for two players with no luck in it at all. It has been played for many centuries and is now followed in clubs, schools and tournaments all over the world. Kiloo's Chess plays the full standard rules, and its move generator is tested against the standard perft counts, so only legal moves are offered.

It suits beginners and practised players alike. The engine comes at three strengths: Easy for learning the moves, Normal, which thinks for about a second, and Sharp, which thinks for longer and tends to find the tactic. Two people can share one device, with a face-to-face board for a tablet on the table. When you would rather solve than play, forty mate puzzles train your eye for a finish. An optional clock, the moves listed in proper notation and PGN export make this Chess version useful for players who want to study their games as well.

Frequently asked questions

Is Chess free to play?

Yes. Chess is free to play in your browser on Kiloo. There is nothing to download and no account to create. The engine runs in a thread of its own, so the board never freezes while it thinks.

Can I play Chess on my phone?

Yes. On a phone or tablet you tap a piece and then a gold dot to move it, or drag it there. On a computer you can click or use the arrow keys and Enter. U undoes a move, H shows a hint and F flips the board.

Can two people play Chess on one device?

Yes. You can pass the device between two players. In face-to-face mode the board turns side-on so both of you see it the same way round, and each scoreboard faces its owner. You can also play white or black against the computer.

Does Chess include every rule?

Yes. Castling on both wings, en passant, promotion to any of the four pieces, stalemate, the fifty-move rule, threefold repetition and dead positions are all there. The move generator is tested against the standard perft counts, so only legal moves are offered.

How do you win at Chess?

You win at Chess by checkmating your opponent's king, which means attacking it so that no move can save it. A game can also end in a draw by stalemate, the fifty-move rule, threefold repetition or a position where neither side has enough pieces left to mate.

Is Chess good for kids?

Yes. Chess is a calm game of thinking with no luck involved, and Kiloo's version helps a younger player learn: gold dots show where each piece can go, Easy is a gentle opponent, and undo and hints let a child take back a mistake and see a better move.