Chess for kids · ages 4–12
Chess Friends
Chess with cute animals drawn on paper! The lion king, the giraffe queen, the elephant bishop, the pony knight, the turtle rook and the chick pawns. Each one moves its own way: the chick hops, the turtle slides, the pony leaps in an L. They cheer, blush and blink.
- Free
- Ad-free
- Plays offline
- 13 languages
Scenes from the game
Lessons
How every animal moves, capturing, check, checkmate, castling and promotion; short and step by step.
Puzzles
"Checkmate in one" puzzles from easy to harder; a wrong move is simply taken back.
Computer friends
From the snail to the dragon, each a little more skilled; or two people play on the same device.
Languages
Texts in 13 languages; explanations and hints are read aloud with the phone's own voice.
Every piece is an animal, and every animal has its own walk
The chess pieces have turned into cute animals. The way they move shows in how they walk: children learn how a piece moves by watching it.
- King
Lion
Walks one square in any direction. Must not get caught: he is the king!
- Queen
Giraffe
Glides straight and diagonally as far as she likes. The strongest in the team.
- Rook
Turtle
Carries a little castle on its back and slides in straight lines.
- Bishop
Elephant
Always walks diagonally and always stays on its own color.
- Knight
Pony
Leaps in an L; the only friend who can jump over the others.
- Pawn
Chick
Hops forward and catches diagonally. Reaching the far end, it turns into a big friend.
Tag, you're it! Off to the picnic blanket
So that capturing in chess is never sad for children, every capture is a little game of tag. The catching friend runs over and taps; the tagged one gets dizzy, stars spin around its head, and it flies off to rest on its team's picnic blanket.
- A board drawn in pencilEvery game starts with the board unfolding as if being drawn on paper; the friends hop into place one by one.
- Sweat drops show dangerA friend under attack sweats, so children see what to look out for.
- Castling is a high fiveThe lion and the turtle high-five as they swap places; a chick reaching the end transforms in a magic cloud.
Learn chess step by step
A child who has never played chess collects stars with the chick in the very first lesson. The lessons are short and teach one thing at a time; each one is narrated aloud, so children who cannot read yet can follow along.
- Collect starsEach animal moves its own way to the stars on the board.
- TagLearn capturing by catching the purple friends.
- Check, checkmate, castling, promotionThen the big rules; at the end, race the computer in the chick race.
Five friends from easy to hard
Choose the friend that suits your child's level. The snail takes its time and often gets confused; the dragon plays really well.
- 01
Snail
Very easy. For the first games: takes its time and often gets confused.
- 02
Bunny
Easy. A cheerful opponent that sometimes forgets about a piece.
- 03
Fox
Medium. Quick to grab pieces left unprotected.
- 04
Bear
Hard. Calm and strong; thinks before it plays.
- 05
Dragon
Very hard. A real test for children who know chess.
- 2 players
Two players
The orange and purple teams take turns on the same device.
Everyone celebrates when you win
At checkmate confetti rains down and the orange friends dance; the purple lion gets a little dizzy and drifts off into a sweet sleep. Losing is not sad either: the game says "You played very well. Shall we try again?", and the last move can be taken back to keep playing.
- 20 stickersEvery computer friend beaten, every animal whose lessons are finished, the first checkmate, the first castling and solved puzzles bring new stickers to the album.
- Hint and take-backWhen stuck, the glowing hint shows the right move; a wrong move is taken back with one tap.
Designed for children
- Big pieces, easy tapsTap a friend or drag it; the squares it can go to are marked in crayon, and illegal moves are not possible.
- Nothing scaryNobody "dies": a captured friend rests on the picnic blanket. There is no time pressure.
- A warm, hand-drawn worldPaper texture, colored-pencil shading, a smiling sun and a kite; gentle music.
For parents
- No ads, purchases or dataNo internet needed and no permissions requested; there are no external links, chat or social media.
- Play-time limitAfter 10, 15, 20 or 30 minutes a cozy sleepy screen suggests a break.
- Parent areaOpens with a 3-second press and hold: music, sounds, spoken help, danger warnings and language.
About Chess Friends
What age is it suitable for?
It is designed for children aged 4 to 12. A child who does not know chess starts with the lessons; children who know chess play against the computer friends and solve checkmate puzzles. The explanations are also read aloud, so little ones who cannot read yet can play too. For younger children, you can find screen-time recommendations by age in our parents' guide.
My child does not know chess. Can they still play?
Yes. In 16 short lessons, how every animal from the chick to the lion moves, capturing, check, checkmate, castling and promotion are taught one by one. During a game, tapping a piece marks the squares it can go to in crayon, and the hint and take-back buttons are always there.
Is it free, and does it have ads?
It is completely free. There are no ads, no in-app purchases and no subscriptions.
Can it be played in the browser too?
Yes. The browser version opens on a computer, tablet or phone with nothing to install. Progress and settings are stored only inside that browser; they are never sent to us or anyone else. In the browser, spoken help works only with the voices installed on your device.
Does it work offline?
Once the Android app is downloaded, no internet connection is needed; it even works in airplane mode. The browser version needs the internet to open the page.
Can two people play on the same device?
Yes. In two-player mode the orange and purple teams take turns on the same tablet or phone; whose turn it is shows in big letters on the screen.
Which languages can it be used in?
It can be used in 13 languages: English, Turkish, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean.
Which devices does it run on?
It can be downloaded from Google Play on phones and tablets with Android 7.0 or later that support OpenGL ES 3.0. The browser version runs in current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari that support WebGL 2.
All the privacy details: Chess Friends privacy policy
The chick hops, the pony leaps. Let's play!
Download Chess Friends for free from Google Play or play right away in your browser, and enjoy chess with no ads.