Chess Rules Quick Reference
A plain-English guide to the rules of chess for new players and the grown-ups teaching them: the board and set-up, how each piece moves and captures, castling, en passant and promotion, check, checkmate and stalemate, draws, touch-move, notation and piece values, each rule with its source.
What’s inside:
- How to use the guide
- The board and setting up
- The pieces (two pages)
- Capturing
- Castling
- En passant and promotion
- Check, checkmate and stalemate
- How a game ends: win, lose or draw
- Touch-move and table manners
- Chess notation, with the quickest checkmate
- Piece values
- A little history, with one open question
- Checklist: rules I know
- Credits, licence and sources
Pages: 16 (including cover and credits). Sizes: A4 (210 × 297 mm) and US Letter (8.5 × 11 in), both PDFs included in one zip.
Printing: Print at 100% / actual size on A4 or US Letter. Inside pages use light backgrounds and print well in black and white; covers are dark, so start from page 2 to save ink.
Every fact is checked against named source pages from the FIDE Laws of Chess and Britannica (checked 3 Nov 2026), and the sources are listed on the pack’s credits page. Where the evidence gives no single answer, what each source says is shown with its source.
There are no photos in this pack: all drawings, puzzles and layouts are REALLYBYTE’s own work. Drawings are simplified impressions: not photographs, not copied from any chess book, diagram, photo or set design. Not affiliated with FIDE, Encyclopaedia Britannica, any chess federation, club or school, or any maker of chess sets. Their names are used only to identify the sources and the rules we quote.
Licence: personal use. Print as many copies as you need for yourself and your household. Please don’t resell, re-upload or share it publicly. For club, school or commercial use, please email info@reallybyte.com.
Made by REALLYBYTE, the team behind chess.learntoplay.im. Questions: info@reallybyte.com
This is a digital download: no physical item will be shipped.