You play White and always move first. Tap a piece to see its legal moves, then tap a highlighted square to move. Capture the enemy king or checkmate it to win.
Each board has its own layout — check the Rules button to see whether pawns may double-step and what counts as a draw. Pawns promote when they reach the last rank; there is no castling or en passant.
Win once on a board to unlock the next one in its group, and clear a higher difficulty on the same board to earn more stars. Use Undo to take back your last move; when you run out, watch a short ad for one more.