Chess
Play chess against a smart AI opponent. Classic strategy game with full rules support!
How to use
- 1
Click any of your pieces (white) to see its legal moves highlighted.
- 2
Click a highlighted square to move — dots show empty squares, rings show captures.
- 3
Beat the AI by checkmating its king — good luck!
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Chess — Free Online Chess Game vs AI
Play chess online for free against a smart AI. Full chess rules including castling, en passant and pawn promotion. No sign-up needed!
Chess is the timeless game of strategy where two players battle wits across a 64-square board. This free online version lets you play directly in your browser against a built-in AI opponent — no downloads, no account, no setup. Click one of your white pieces to see every legal move highlighted, then click a destination square to play it. The AI replies automatically as black, using a minimax engine with alpha-beta pruning and a positional evaluation to choose its move.
All standard rules are supported: castling on both sides, en passant captures, and pawn promotion with a choice between queen, rook, bishop, or knight. The game also detects checkmate, stalemate, and the 50-move rule automatically, so you always know when a game is over. Whether you're learning the basics or sharpening your tactics, this is a clean, fast way to play a full game of chess anytime.
Frequently Asked Questions
How strong is the AI opponent?
The AI uses a minimax search with alpha-beta pruning and a material plus piece-square evaluation. It searches a few plies deep and plays a reasonable tactical game — strong enough to punish blunders but beatable with solid positional play.
How do I castle?
Click your king and then click two squares toward the rook on the side you want to castle. Castling is only offered when the king and rook have not moved, the squares between them are empty, and the king does not move through or into check.
What about pawn promotion?
When one of your pawns reaches the last rank, a small modal pops up letting you choose to promote it to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight. The AI promotes automatically to a queen.
How do I start a new game?
Use the New Game button below the board at any time to reset the position and start fresh. The same button appears on the game-over overlay after a win, loss, or draw.