About Chess online
Chess is the ultimate strategy game, played by hundreds of millions of people. Xons Play gives you a beautiful 3D chessboard with sculpted, high-detail pieces and full rules enforced by our server: castling, en passant, pawn promotion, check, checkmate, stalemate, threefold repetition, the 50-move rule and insufficient material. Challenge a friend with a private link, find an opponent with Quick Match, or train against the built-in computer.
How to play Chess on Xons Play
- Pick a mode. With friends, send them your invite link — the host plays White.
- Tap a piece to see its legal moves highlighted, then tap a target square.
- Drag with one finger or the mouse to rotate the 3D board; pinch or scroll to zoom.
- Checkmate your opponent's king to win. You can also resign from the menu.
Chess rules
- Objective
- Put the opposing king in checkmate — attacked with no legal way to escape.
- Castling
- Move the king two squares toward a rook that has not moved. Not allowed out of, through or into check.
- En passant
- A pawn that advances two squares can be captured by an adjacent enemy pawn as if it had moved one, but only on the very next move.
- Promotion
- A pawn reaching the last rank is promoted (to a queen automatically on Xons Play).
- Draws
- Stalemate, threefold repetition, the 50-move rule and insufficient mating material all end the game as a draw.
Tips & strategy
- Control the centre (e4, d4, e5, d5) with pawns and pieces early.
- Develop knights and bishops before moving the queen out.
- Castle early to keep your king safe and connect your rooks.
- Before every move ask: what is my opponent threatening?
