About Chess on Suvi
Chess is the classic game of two armies on an eight-by-eight board: move your pieces to trap the other king so it can't escape, which is checkmate. On Suvi you can play chess online free against the computer at three levels, with two players passing one phone, or with a friend on their own phone by sending a link. Every rule is in: castling, en passant, promotion to any piece, check and checkmate, and draws by stalemate, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule and insufficient material. Tap a piece to see where it can go, or drag it. The last move and any check are marked, the moves are listed as you play, and captured pieces sit under the board. Turn on a clock of 10, 5 or 3 minutes each for speed chess. Nothing to download, no account needed.
How to play
- Choose vs Computer (Easy, Medium or Hard) or Two players, and who has White. White moves first.
- Tap one of your pieces: the squares it can move to are marked. Tap one of them, or drag the piece there.
- Put the other king in check, attacked with no way out, and it's checkmate: you win. If the player to move has no legal move but isn't in check, it's stalemate, a draw.
- A pawn that reaches the far side becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight: pick one from the little menu.
- With a clock on, your time runs while it's your move. Run out and you lose, unless your opponent has nothing left that could mate.
Controls
On a phone or tablet: Tap a piece, then the square to move it to, or drag it there. Undo and Hint sit under the board, with the moves and Resign below them.
On a desktop: Click a piece and then a square, or drag it. Or move round the board with the arrow keys and press Enter to pick up and put down. U undoes, H asks for a hint.
Tips
- In the first few moves, bring out your knights and bishops, put a pawn in the center and castle to keep your king safe.
- Before every move, ask what your opponent's last move threatens: most games are lost to a piece left unguarded.
- Count the trade: a knight or bishop is worth about three pawns, a rook five and a queen nine.
- A rook belongs on an open file with no pawns on it, where it reaches all the way up the board.
- In speed chess, keep a little time for the end: a quick, safe move beats a perfect one played as your flag falls.
Questions
- Is this chess free to play online?
- Yes. Chess on Suvi is free in your browser against the computer, with two players on one phone, or with a friend online, with no download and no account to make. Your record at each level is saved on this device.
- How strong is the computer?
- Easy looks one move ahead and makes beginner's mistakes, so it's beatable while you learn. Medium looks two moves ahead for each side, like a fair club player. Hard thinks as far ahead as it can in about a second, so it's a real test. All three vary their openings, so games don't repeat.
- Can I play speed chess with a clock?
- Yes. Tap Change and pick a clock of 10, 5 or 3 minutes each, or open Speed Chess, which starts with 5 minutes. The clock works with two players on one phone and against the computer, whose clock runs while it thinks. Each side's clock starts after their first move.
- Can two people play on one phone?
- Yes. Choose Two players and pass the phone after each move. The board turns round so whoever is to move has their pieces at the bottom; you can switch that off with Turn board.
- How do draws work?
- A game is drawn by stalemate, when the same position comes up three times, after fifty moves each with no capture or pawn move, or when neither side has enough pieces left to mate. Here those draws happen automatically, without either player having to claim them.
- Can I take a move back?
- Against the computer, yes: Undo takes back your move and its reply. Between two people, and online, every move stands, as it would over a real board.
More Chess
Similar games
- Chess Puzzle — One tactic a day. Find the winning move.
- Draughts — Jump, capture, crown a king. Play the computer or a friend on one phone.
- Reversi — Trap discs between yours and flip them. Play the computer or a friend on one phone.
Who made it
Chess is a Suvi Original, written and tested by Brasslight Games. Every puzzle is generated and checked by our own tools; nothing is copied from another site.