Game Setup

Chess is played on a square chequered chessboard with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight square. At the start, each player (one controlling the white pieces, the other controlling the black pieces) controls sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king, whereby the king is under immediate attack (in "check") and there is no way to remove it from attack on the next move.

The players alternate moving one piece at a time. Pieces are moved to either an unoccupied square, or one occupied by an opponent's piece, capturing it and removing it from play.

Basic Chess Moves

Each chess piece has its own style of move. In the images below, the X's mark the squares where the piece can move. If there is an opponent's piece at the destination square, then moving piece can capture the opponent's piece. The only exception is the pawn which can only capture the white circles.

Special Moves: Castling

Once in every game, each king is allowed to make a special move, known as castling. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook, then placing the rook immediately on the far side of the king.

Castling is only permissible if all of the following conditions are met:

• Neither of the pieces involved in the castling may have been previously moved during the game;
• There must be no pieces between the king and the rook;
• The king may not currently be in check, nor may the king pass through squares that are under attack by enemy pieces. As with any move, castling is illegal if it would place the king in check.
• The king and the rook must be on the same rank (to exclude castling with a promoted pawn, described later).

Special Moves: En Passant

When a pawn advances two squares, if there is an opponent's pawn on an adjacent file next to its destination square, then the opponent's pawn can capture it and move to the square the pawn passed over, but only on the next move. For example, if the black pawn has just advanced two squares from f7 to f5, then either of the white pawns on e5 and g5 can take it via en passant on f6.

Special Moves: Promotion

When a pawn advances to its eighth rank, it is exchanged for the player's choice of a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of the same color. Usually, the pawn is chosen to be promoted to a queen, but in some cases another piece is chosen, called underpromotion.

Time Control Settings

In QQ Chess there are various time control settings that affect the pace and duration of the game. Time Control Settings must be agreed upon by both players before the game can begin.

• Round Time: The total time amount allowed for each player to make all of their moves in a given game.
• Move Time: The amount of time that each player is given to make each move during a round.
• Extra Time Per Move (Delay): An additional amount of time that players are given when switching turns between each other's moves.
• Takebacks: Players allow each other a set amount of "Takebacks" per match where they can change their move before their opponent has made a move in response.

Play Modes

There are 2 basic modes of play in QQ Chess; Fast Games and Standard Games. The difference in the 2 modes involve the Time Control Settings.

Standard Games

Standard games have a longer Round Time, allow for a longer Move Time, and do not have Extra Time Per Move.

• Round Time: 30 to 120 minutes per player per round.
• Move Time: 1 to 10 minutes per move.
• Extra Time Per Move (Delay): NONE
• Takebacks: 0 to 3 takebacks per match

Fast Games

Fast Games have a shorter Round Time, shorter Move Time, and can include Extra Time Per Move between players turns.

• Round Time: 5 to 30 minutes per player per round.
• Move Time: 1 to 5 minutes per move.
• Extra Time Per Move (Delay): 3-60 seconds between moves.
• Takebacks: 0 to 3 takebacks per match

Ending the Game

Winning and Losing

• Checkmate: If a player's king is placed in check, and there is no legal move that player can make to escape check, then they are in Checkmate and they lose.
• Resign: After 10 moves have been played by each player (20 total), a player can choose to resign. (This normally happens when the player believes he is certain to lose the game.)
  In the case that a player resigns, they lose the standard amount of gems and their opponent wins by default and is awarded the standard amount of gems.
• Out of Time: After 5 moves have been played by each player, if one player runes out of time, either for the Round or Move, they lose the game. However, before 5 moves have been played by each player (10 total), if one player is out of time, he doesn't lose and the other player doesn't win. No gems are awarded here.

Draw

In the case of a draw in QQ Chess, where neither player wins nor loses, Gems are awarded as follows:

Games Ending in a Draw

Difference in Opponent's Total Gems	If you have MORE total gems	If you have LESS total gems
0-9 gems difference	-1	+1
10-99 gems difference	-5	+5
100+ gems difference	-10	+10

QQ Chess allows for the following types of Draw:

• Mutual Agreement: In QQ Chess, a player can request a draw only after 10 moves have been made by each player (20 total). A Draw can only be requested 3 times per match.
• Stalemate: If the player on turn has no legal move but is not in check, this is stalemate and the game is a draw.
• Threefold Repetition: If an identical position has occurred three times, or will occur after the player on turn makes his move, the player on move may claim a draw (to the arbiter). In such a case the draw is not automatic - a player must claim it.
  
  A position is considered identical to another if the same player is on move, the same types of pieces of the same colors occupy the same squares, and the same moves are available to each player; in particular, each player has the same castling and en passant capturing rights. (A player may lose his right to castle; and an en passant capture is available only at the first opportunity.)
• Fifty Move Rule: If at least fifty moves (by each side) have passed with no pawn being moved and no capture being made, a draw may be claimed by either player. Here again, the draw is not automatic and rather must be claimed.
• Impossibility of Checkmate: If a position arises in which neither player could possibly give checkmate by a series of legal moves, the game is a draw. This is usually because there is insufficient material left, but it is possible in other positions too (see the diagram). Combinations with insufficient material to checkmate are:
  1. king versus king
  2. king and bishop versus king
  3. king and knight versus king
  4. king and bishop versus king and bishop with the bishops on the same color.

Quiting Early

When a player attempts to quit a match early, they have the option of sending a request to their opponent asking permission to quit.

If their opponent agrees to their request, both parties don't win or lose any gems.

If their opponent does not agree to their request:

If under 50 total moves have been played, the player who quits early is penalized and loses triple the amount of gems and the other player doesn't win or lose any gems.

If over 50 total moves have been played, the player who quits early is penalized and loses triple the amount of gems and the other player wins the gems according to the rules of a Draw.