Print, Play & Discover Chess Together
Pick a board, print your pieces, and enjoy a game together. Start by discovering how each chess piece moves, then take turns, plan your moves, protect your King, and work toward checkmate.
♘ Choose Your Printable Chess Game Kit
Pick your favorite board and get ready to play. Each printable game kit includes a chess board, 2D chess pieces, and beginner-friendly guidance to help families start playing together.
📦 What's Inside Your Printable Chess Game Kit?
Everything you need to start playing together. Print the game kit, cut out the pieces if needed, and enjoy a beginner-friendly game of Chess with family and friends.
♟️ Printable Chess Board
Choose from colorful printable boards including Classic, Ocean, Royal, and beginner-friendly layouts. Every board is designed for clear, enjoyable family play.
♔ Printable Chess Pieces
No chess set? No problem! Cut out the printable 2D chess pieces included in the kit, or use your own chess pieces with the printable board.
📖 Beginner Guide
Learn how to set up the board, move each piece, understand check and checkmate, and discover special moves like castling and pawn promotion.
♟️ Meet the Chess Pieces
Every chess piece moves in its own special way. Meet the six pieces, discover where they can go, and try moving them around the board before playing your first full game.
♔ Meet the King
The King moves one square at a time in any direction — forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally. Keep your King safe! If the King is under attack, it is in check, and you must make a move that gets it out of danger.
♛ Meet the Queen
The Queen can move any number of open squares forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally. She can travel across much of the board in one move, making her one of your most powerful pieces.
♖ Meet the Rook
The Rook moves straight across rows or up and down columns for any number of open squares. It cannot move diagonally or jump over other pieces.
♗ Meet the Bishop
The Bishop moves diagonally for any number of open squares. Each Bishop begins on one square color and stays on that same color for the whole game.
♞ Meet the Knight
The Knight moves in a special L-shape: two squares in one direction and then one square to the side. It is also the only chess piece that can jump over other pieces.
♟ Meet the Pawn
Pawns usually move one square forward, but on their first move they may move one or two squares. They capture one square diagonally forward. Reach the opposite end of the board and your Pawn can be promoted to another piece.
🧩 Build Your Own Chess Pieces
Your printable chess board is ready to play, but the fun doesn't stop there! Download the Build & Play Chess Pieces to create your own colourful 3D chess set. Print the pages, colour the characters, cut them out, then fold and glue them together to build sturdy chess pieces for your games. Build the whole royal kingdom and enjoy playing with a chess set you made yourself!
🖍️ Colour
Bring your chess piece to life! Use crayons, coloured pencils, or markers to colour the artwork any way you like. You can also print the pieces on coloured paper.
✂️ Cut
Carefully cut along the solid outline of the chess piece and the circular base. Ask an adult for help if you're using scissors.
↩️ Fold & Shape
Gently curve the paper and bring the two edges together to form a sturdy standing chess piece. Fold the glue tab inward so it stays hidden at the back.
🧴 Glue
Apply a small amount of glue (or use double-sided tape) to the glue tab and press the edges together. If you like, glue the circular base inside the bottom to make your chess piece even stronger and more stable.
♟️ Build & Play
Let the glue dry for a few minutes, then set your new chess piece on the board. Build the rest of the pieces and enjoy your own handmade game of chess!
♟ Every Move Is a New Discovery
♟ Your First Chess Game
Chess begins with two teams facing each other across the board. Each player starts with a King, Queen, two Rooks, two Bishops, two Knights, and eight Pawns. White moves first, and then players take turns moving one piece at a time.
When your piece moves onto a square occupied by an opponent's piece, that piece is captured and removed from the board. But the most important piece is the King. When an opponent's piece threatens your King, your King is in check, and your next move must make the King safe.
The game ends with checkmate when a King is in check and there is no legal move that can save it.
Chess also has a few special moves. Castling lets the King and a Rook move together under certain conditions to help protect the King. Pawn promotion happens when a Pawn reaches the opposite end of the board and can become a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight.
Don't worry about remembering everything before your first game. Start with the board and the pieces, make a few moves together, and let the rules become familiar as you play.
👨👩👧 Enjoy Chess Together
Chess is more than a board game - it's an opportunity to spend quality time together. Play, learn, laugh, and discover new strategies with family and friends.
🔎 Look, Think, Then Move
Before moving a piece, take a good look at the board. Where can your piece go? Can it capture an opponent's piece? Will it still be safe after it moves?
Then look at the other side of the board. What might the other player do next? Is your King safe? Is one of your pieces under attack? Could you protect one piece with another?
There isn't always one obvious move. Part of the fun of Chess is choosing between different possibilities and discovering what happens next. Take your time, make your choice, and see how the board changes.
👨👩👧 Discover Chess Together
A first Chess session doesn't have to begin with a serious game from start to finish. For younger beginners, simply setting up the board and discovering how the pieces move can be part of the fun.
A parent, grandparent, older sibling, or friend can place just a few pieces on the board and explore them together. Try moving a Rook across an empty board, follow the Bishop's diagonals, or see all the surprising places a Knight can jump.
When everyone feels ready, set up all the pieces and play. Help with the rules when needed, talk about possible moves, and enjoy the time around the board together. Winning can be exciting, but discovering a clever move together can be just as much fun.
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