New?

Welcome to chess

Playing and learning online

There are plenty of sites where you can play and learn chess online:

  • ⭐ lichess.org is our favourite—a great playing experience and plenty of other features, all completely free. This is where the Rotherham online tournaments are played, as well as the Sheffield online league
  • chesstempo.com has a great selection of tactics and endgame puzzles
  • Chessable offer a range of free courses (although much of it is payable)
  • chess.com is very popular, but most features require a paid subscription 💰

We at Rotherham have been running online tournaments throughout the pandemic, organised via the Slack app and played on lichess. ➡ More information

New to over-the-board (OTB) chess?

OTB rules

There are some important things to know if you're new to competitive chess, particularly if you're used to playing online:

  • Touch-move is enforced. If you touch a piece with the intent to move it, you must move that piece if it's legal to do so. If you're just adjusting a piece on its square, say "I adjust" (or j'adoube) before touching the piece
  • Making an illegal move (e.g. ignoring check/moving into check) grants 2 extra minutes to the opponent; a second illegal move forfeits the game. In shorter formats (rapid and below) making an illegal move causes an immediate loss.
  • When castling, always move the king first, then use the same hand to move the rook
  • Don't forget to press your clock after making your move, using the same hand that you used to move the pieces
  • In longer games (e.g. in league or tournament games) you'll need to record the moves made in the game—make sure you understand how to read and write chess notation. The organisers usually provide scoresheets and pens. After the game the scoresheet is yours to keep. Write down your move after pressing your clock, but before making your next move
  • If making a draw offer, you should offer after making your move, but before pressing your clock. If an offer is made at another time, it is still valid and cannot be retracted, although your opponent can ask you to make your move before they respond

➡ If you're really serious about this, the official Laws of Chess can be found on the World Chess Federation (FIDE) website

Getting an official rating

A rating is a number, calculated on the basis of your results, that roughly represents your chess strength. You'll also hear it referred to as a 'grade' or 'grading' (particularly among the older hands)

There are a few different rating systems in use, but the basic idea is that a player with a rating of 1000 would be expected to score equally as well against a 1200 (about 25%) as a 1500 player would against a 1700—the number itself isn't too important, only the difference between opponents is significant.

Members of the English Chess Federation (ECF) can gain an ECF rating by playing in ECF-rated events such as leagues and congresses (weekend tournaments). Non-members can get a rating, but do attract an extra charge when playing in events, so if you intend to play more than a handful of rated games per year it's usually worthwhile having at least Bronze ECF membership. Your first three league games are free though, as long as you become a member before your 4th.

The World Chess Federation (FIDE) also operate an international rating system. Comparatively few events in England are FIDE-rated, and you'll still need to be a member of the ECF (or your national federation).