Essentially, the aim of the game is to win by trapping your opponent's king. This is called checkmate. White is always first to move and players take turns alternately moving one piece at a time. Each type of piece has its own method of movement. For example the king may only move one space at a time but may move in any direction.

A piece may be moved to another position or may capture an opponent's piece. This is done by landing on the appropriate square with the moving piece and removing the defending piece from play. With the exception of the knight, a piece may not move over or through any of the other pieces. In tournament play, once a piece has been touched by a player, it must be moved.