How to play
From having no account to finishing your first game — and what else there is to play afterwards.
Three steps to start
- Sign up freeUse an email and password, or sign in with Google. No fee, and no card is asked for. Sign up now →
- Pick an opponentJust learning? Start with the most patient bot, no clock. Already play? Go straight into an online duel.
- Play, then look at what happenedWhen the game ends, the same board can be taken apart: which move turned it, and what should have been played.
Never played chess?
The rules are shorter than they look. Chess is played by two people on an 8×8 board, 16 pieces each; White moves first, then the players alternate, one move at a time.
| King | One square in any direction. A king may never stand on a square the opponent attacks. |
|---|---|
| Queen | Any distance, straight or diagonal. |
| Rook | Any distance, straight (along ranks or files). |
| Bishop | Any distance, diagonally only. |
| Knight | An "L": two squares, then one to the side. The only piece that may jump over others. |
| Pawn | One square forward (two on its first move), captures diagonally. Reaching the far end it turns into another piece — usually a queen. |
The goal: leave the opponent's king attacked with no way out — that is checkmate, and the game is over. If a player has no legal move but the king is not attacked, the game is a draw.
On Katuranga the board itself shows where a piece may go the moment you touch it, so none of the above needs memorising first. If you would rather learn in order, follow the Courses — graded classes with exercises on the board.
What there is to play
If you want more than playing
Everything above is free. What costs money are the study tools and the decorations:
- Premium / Pro plans — more game analysis, the full master game collection, the AI Coach, and unlimited courses. See pricing.
- Gold — in-game credit for shopping in the Shop.
- Digital items — boards, piece sets, backgrounds and effects.
How buying works:
Payments on the site are processed by Midtrans; in the Android app they go through Google Play. Once payment clears, the plan or Gold lands in the account immediately — nothing is shipped. Status and purchase history live on the account page.
Still stuck on something?
Last updated 23 September 2026.