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Navritto

Board

Chess

Play full chess against the computer on three difficulties, or pass-and-play with a friend on one device.

Full chess — against the computer on Easy, Medium, or a genuinely challenging Hard, or two-player pass-and-play on one device — free in your browser.

Board
Play now
Your best
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Category
Board
Plays in
Browser · no install
Controls
Tap · Mouse · Keyboard
Leaderboard
Global · soon
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How to play Chess

  1. Pick your match: play the computer on Easy, Medium, or Hard and choose White or Black, or choose 2 players to pass-and-play with a friend on one device. An unfinished match is saved on your device, so you can resume it later from the same screen.

  2. Moving is tap-tap: tap one of your pieces and every legal move lights up — a dot on an empty square, a ring around a capture. Tap a highlighted square to move there, tap another of your pieces to switch, or tap the selected piece again to deselect. On a keyboard, the arrows move a cursor and Enter or Space selects and moves.

  3. Every real rule is in and enforced: castling, en passant, and pawn promotion — when a pawn reaches the last rank a picker asks whether it becomes a queen, rook, bishop, or knight. Illegal moves simply aren't offered, and a red glow marks your king whenever it's in check.

  4. Checkmate wins the game. Stalemate, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule, and insufficient material each end it as a draw, with the reason spelled out. Against the computer, the opponent thinks for a second or two — its move slides in when it's ready.

Controls

Tap / click a piece
Show its legal moves
Tap / click a highlighted square
Move (or capture) there
Arrow keys + Enter / Space
Move the cursor, select, and move
Esc
Deselect the piece
Restart button
New match or change the setup

Tips

  • Fight for the centre early — pawns to e4/d4 (or e5/d5) and knights before bishops give your pieces the most squares.
  • Castle within the first ten moves. A king stuck in the middle is where most quick losses come from.
  • Before every move, scan checks, captures, and threats — yours and your opponent's. Most blunders are a piece left hanging.
  • Beat Easy by simply not giving pieces away, then step up: Medium punishes loose moves, and Hard makes you work for every point.

About Chess

Chess on Navritto Games is the full, real game — every rule enforced, from castling and en passant to promotion, checkmate, stalemate, and all the draw rules (threefold repetition, fifty moves, insufficient material) — built to play instantly in the browser. Play the computer on three difficulties or hand the device back and forth in two-player pass-and-play. The computer opponent is Navritto's own engine and runs entirely in your browser on your device: nothing is sent to a server, and it answers in a second or two. Easy is deliberately gentle — it plays loosely enough for a beginner to genuinely beat. Medium plays solid, tactical chess with the occasional slip. Hard searches deeper and plays a challenging game that will stretch a casual club player — it is honest strength, not a master-level engine. Moves are tap-tap with every legal square shown, the board is fully keyboard-playable, and an unfinished match saves on your device so you can resume it later. It needs no install and no account. Chess brings the first board game to Navritto Games, alongside Cascade, Sudoku, Lexicon and the rest — the same calm, no-nonsense play, right in the browser.

Frequently asked questions

Can I play chess against the computer for free?
Yes. Chess on Navritto Games is free to play in your browser with no install, no signup, and no account. Choose Easy, Medium, or Hard, pick White or Black, and play — the computer opponent answers in a second or two.
How strong is the computer opponent in Chess?
Easy is deliberately gentle — it plays loose enough that a beginner can genuinely beat it. Medium plays solid, tactical chess with the occasional slip. Hard searches deeper and is a challenging opponent for a casual club-level player — honest strength, not a master-level engine.
Can two people play chess on one device?
Yes. Choose “2 players” in the setup and pass the device back and forth — White and Black play on the same board, with the turn banner showing whose move it is. It works on phones, tablets, and desktops.
Does Chess follow all the real rules?
Yes — every rule is enforced. Castling, en passant, and pawn promotion (with a picker for queen, rook, bishop, or knight) are all in, and games end correctly by checkmate, stalemate, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule, or insufficient material.
Where does the computer opponent run, and can I resume a game?
The chess engine runs entirely in your browser on your own device — moves are computed locally and nothing is sent to a server. An unfinished match is saved on your device after every move, so if you close the tab you can resume it later from the same screen.

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