---
title: "How to Play Chess for Kids, in Pictures"
url: "https://georgelichess.com/chess-for-kids.md"
canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/chess-for-kids"
last_updated: "2026-11-09"
type: "guide"
summary: "Chess for kids explained in eight pictures: the board, each piece, how to win, and three first games to play with a parent, written for ages 6 and up."
related: ["https://georgelichess.com/how-to-play-chess.md", "https://georgelichess.com/how-to-teach-kids-chess.md", "https://georgelichess.com/chess-lessons-for-kids.md", "https://georgelichess.com/online-chess-classes-for-kids.md", "https://georgelichess.com/how-to-set-up-a-chess-board.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/pricing.md", "https://georgelichess.com/book.md"]
---

# How to Play Chess for Kids, in Pictures

> **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md.

Chess for kids explained in eight pictures: the board, each piece, how to win, and three first games to play with a parent, written for ages 6 and up.

Chess is a game for two players, one with the white pieces and one with the black. Each player has sixteen pieces and takes turns moving one. The goal is to trap the other player's king so it cannot escape, which is called checkmate. This page shows the rules in eight pictures and gives three first games to play with a parent.

## Picture 1: the board

The board has eight rows and eight columns, which makes 64 squares in two colors. Put the board so that a light square is at each player's right-hand corner. The pieces start on the two rows closest to each player.

**Diagram: The starting position: the white pieces are at the bottom, the black pieces at the top and four empty rows are between them** Position (FEN): `rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1`. Arrows: e2 to e4.

## Picture 2: the pawn

The pawns are the small pieces in the front row. A pawn moves forward one square, or two on its first move. It captures differently from how it moves: it takes a piece that is one square diagonally in front.

**Diagram: The white pawn on e4 can step forward to e5 or capture the black pawn on d5** Position (FEN): `7k/8/8/3p4/4P3/8/8/K7 w - - 0 1`. Arrows: e4 to e5, e4 to d5.

## Picture 3: the rook

The rook looks like a castle tower. It moves in straight lines, forward, backward or sideways, as far as it wants until something is in the way.

**Diagram: The rook moves in straight lines along the row and the column** Position (FEN): `8/8/8/8/3R4/8/8/K6k w - - 0 1`. Arrows: d4 to d8, d4 to d1, d4 to a4, d4 to h4.

## Picture 4: the bishop

The bishop has a pointed hat. It moves along diagonals, which are the slanted lines. Each bishop stays on one color of square for the whole game.

**Diagram: The bishop slides along the slanted lines and stays on the same color** Position (FEN): `K7/8/8/8/3B4/8/8/7k w - - 0 1`. Arrows: d4 to a1, d4 to h8, d4 to a7, d4 to g1.

## Picture 5: the knight

The knight looks like a horse. It moves in an L shape: two squares one way and one square to the side. It is the only piece that jumps over others.

**Diagram: The knight jumps in an L shape to any of the eight green squares** Position (FEN): `7k/8/8/8/3N4/8/8/K7 w - - 0 1`.

## Picture 6: the queen and the king

The queen is the strongest piece. She moves like a rook and a bishop together, in any straight line or diagonal. The king is the most important piece but moves only one square at a time in any direction. If the king is trapped, you lose.

**Diagram: The queen goes anywhere along a row, a column or a diagonal** Position (FEN): `8/8/8/8/3Q4/8/8/K6k w - - 0 1`. Arrows: d4 to d8, d4 to d1, d4 to a4, d4 to h4, d4 to a7, d4 to g7, d4 to g1.

## Picture 7: check and checkmate

When your king is attacked, you are in check and must escape on your next move. If there is no escape, it is checkmate and the game is over. Here is a famous short game for kids to know, because it shows how fast a game can end: 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Qxf7#. White's queen and bishop attack the pawn on f7 together, and the black king has no escape.

**Diagram: Checkmate in four moves: the queen on f7 is protected by the bishop on c4 and the black king cannot escape** Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Qxf7#. Position (FEN): `r1bqkb1r/pppp1Qpp/2n2n2/4p3/2B1P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNB1K1NR b KQkq - 0 4`. Arrows: h5 to f7, c4 to f7.

How to stop it: when the queen and the bishop both aim at f7, move a piece to protect that pawn or push the pawn that blocks the queen. The easy answer is to play ...g6 to attack the queen or ...Nh6 to guard f7.

## Picture 8: a draw

Sometimes nobody wins. If a player has no move but the king is not in check, the game is a draw, which is called stalemate. A draw also happens when both players agree or when the same position comes up three times. A draw is better than a loss, and worse than a win.

## Two special moves for later

When your child has played ten or more games, add two special rules. The first is castling: once a game the king can jump two squares toward a rook, and the rook hops to the other side of the king. It is the best way to make the king safe. The second is promotion: when a pawn walks all the way to the far end of the board, it turns into a queen, or any other piece the child chooses. Children love promotion, and it explains why a small pawn can matter so much late in the game.

Leave en passant, the odd pawn capture, until much later. It is rare, it confuses new players, and a child who has not met it will not miss it. When the child is ready, the glossary page on [en passant](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/en-passant.md) shows every case with a diagram.

## Three first games to play with a parent

These three games teach the pieces one at a time. Play each a few times before moving to the next.

1. **Pawns only.** Set up the pawns and play without any other pieces. The first player to get a pawn to the far end wins. This teaches how pawns move and capture.
2. **King and queen against king.** The parent has a king alone, and the child has a king and a queen. The child tries to checkmate. This teaches how pieces work together.
3. **A full game with a helper.** Play a full game, and the parent says out loud, before each move, what the child's move attacks. The child learns to look before moving.

A game takes about twenty minutes, and a child learns more from many short games than from a long one. When the child asks about the rules, look them up together on the page for [how to play chess](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-play-chess.md). The page on [how to teach kids chess](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-teach-kids-chess.md) has a twelve-week plan.

## What to say when a child loses

Losing is part of chess, and how you talk about it matters. Praise the effort and ask one question about the game: what was the best move you found? Ask what you would change. Avoid saying that the child was careless, because that teaches nothing. If the child loses interest, shorten the game or play a different mini-game, and come back later.

## Tips for the first month

- Play a little every day: ten to twenty minutes is better than an hour once a week.
- Use a real board when you can, because moving pieces by hand helps memory.
- Let the child pick the color, and swap colors each game.
- After each game, ask the child to show you one good move and one move to change.

If your child likes the game and you would like a teacher, a one-on-one lesson helps. The page on [chess lessons for kids](https://georgelichess.com/chess-lessons-for-kids.md) explains how a lesson works.

| Offer | Lessons | Price | Per lesson |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Single lesson | 1 | $150 | $150 |
| Foundation 5 | 5 | $700 | $140 |
| Climb 10 | 10 | $1,350 | $135 |
| Intensive 25 | 25 | $3,250 | $130 |
| Season 40 | 40 | $5,000 | $125 |

Every lesson is 60 minutes, one-on-one, online. [See the packages](https://georgelichess.com/pricing.md).

## Frequently asked questions

**How old should a child be to learn chess?**

Many children can start at five or six. They need to sit for ten or fifteen minutes and follow a few rules. A younger child can learn through the mini-games, one piece at a time.

**What is the easiest way to teach a child chess?**

Teach one piece at a time through mini-games, and add the next piece only when the child moves the first without mistakes. Play often and keep each game short.

**Does chess make kids smarter?**

Chess builds focus, patience and planning, and children who play well often enjoy thinking problems. Research on school results is mixed, so the best reason to play is that it is a good game.

**How many pieces does a child need to learn first?**

Start with the pawns, then the rook, then the king and queen, then the bishop and knight. Each step takes one or two sessions.

## A teacher for your child

A one-on-one lesson with an IM shows your child how to play and why, at the right pace. [Book a lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md).

## Related

- [How to Play Chess: A Beginner's Guide](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-play-chess.md)
- [/how-to-teach-kids-chess](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-teach-kids-chess.md)
- [Chess Lessons for Kids, Taught by an IM](https://georgelichess.com/chess-lessons-for-kids.md)
- [Online Chess Classes for Kids Compared](https://georgelichess.com/online-chess-classes-for-kids.md)
- [How to Set Up a Chess Board, Step by Step](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-set-up-a-chess-board.md)
- [Checkmate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate.md)
- [Lesson packages and prices](https://georgelichess.com/pricing.md)
- [Book a lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md)

## Related

- [How to Play Chess: A Beginner's Guide](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-play-chess.md)
- [How to teach kids chess: a guide for parents](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-teach-kids-chess.md)
- [Chess Lessons for Kids, Taught by an IM](https://georgelichess.com/chess-lessons-for-kids.md)
- [Online Chess Classes for Kids Compared](https://georgelichess.com/online-chess-classes-for-kids.md)
- [How to Set Up a Chess Board, Step by Step](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-set-up-a-chess-board.md)
- [Checkmate in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate.md)
- [Chess lesson prices and packages](https://georgelichess.com/pricing.md)
- [Book a chess lesson with George Li](https://georgelichess.com/book.md)