Who goes first in Chess?
FIDE Laws effective 1 January 2023 · standard chess (English)
White, the player with the light-colored pieces, makes the first move. Black moves next, and the players then alternate turns.
If your rules call for a random choice, use the player picker.
Rule details
This instruction identifies the starting color after colors have been assigned; the cited Laws do not provide a universal method for choosing who receives White.
For clocked competitive play, Article 6.6 says to start White's clock at the scheduled beginning.
Source & edition
- FIDE Laws of Chess effective 1 January 2023International Chess Federation (FIDE) · Introduction 0.1; Articles 1.1-1.3, 2.1-2.3 and 6.5-6.7 · Checked 2026-09-26
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