Basic Rules of Tournament Chess

For the most part, tournament chess is played with the same rules as casual chess. If you’re not sure how the pieces move or what the object of the game is, start here and brush up on the basic rules of chess.

When you’re ready to take your game up a notch, you may want to consider playing in a tournament. Before you dive in, however, be advised that tournament chess is governed by a myriad of rules and regulations. Official rulebooks contain hundreds of pages detailing regulations for every possible dispute or situation one might come across during a chess tournament.

Players aren’t expected to memorize the entire rule book. Simply understanding some of the most important rules is more than enough to confidently play in any tournament.

Here are some of the highlights.