Rules

What is a illegal move in chess?

  • Rules
  • Legality
  • Result

An illegal move is a move that breaks the rules of chess. In tournament play it can carry penalties, so always resolve legality before continuing.

What to look for on the board

  • Whether the move is legal.
  • Whether the rule changes the result.
  • Whether a special case applies.

Free game review

See where illegal move decides your games

Chessiro reviews your games with an AI coach that names the concept behind every mistake, then drills you on the exact positions where it happened until you stop repeating them.

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