The Basics of the Chessboard and Pieces:
The chessboard and its pieces is the first step in your journey to mastering the game.
The Chessboard:
The chessboard is a square grid composed of 64 smaller squares, arranged in an 8x8 pattern. These squares alternate between two colours, typically black and white, creating a chequered pattern. The rows are called ranks, numbered 1 to 8, while the columns are called files, labelled a to h.
When setting up the board, make sure a white square is in the bottom-right corner of the board from each player's perspective. The pieces are then arranged in a specific order:
The Pieces:
Each player begins with 16 pieces: 8 pawns, 2 knights, 2 bishops, 2 rooks, 1 queen, and 1 king. Here’s a brief overview of each piece and how it moves:
Pawns:
Pawns move forward one square but capture diagonally. On their first move, they can advance two squares. Pawns are the only pieces that capture differently from how they move.
Knights:
Knights move in an L-shape: two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicular. They are the only pieces that can jump over other pieces.
Bishops:
Bishops move diagonally any number of squares. Each player has one bishop on a light square and one on a dark square, and they remain on squares of their colour throughout the game.
Rooks:
Rooks move horizontally or vertically any number of squares. They are powerful pieces when they control open lines.
Queens:
The queen is the most powerful piece, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.
Kings:
The king moves one square in any direction. The primary goal in chess is to checkmate your opponent's king, putting it under attack in such a way that it cannot escape.
Setting Up the Board:
Pawns:
Place all pawns on the second rank for White and the seventh rank for Black.
Rooks:
Position the rooks on the corners of the board (a1 and h1 for White, a8 and h8 for Black).
Knights:
Place the knights next to the rooks (b1 and g1 for White, b8 and g8 for Black).
Bishops:
Position the bishops next to the knights (c1 and f1 for White, c8 and f8 for Black).
Queens:
Place the queens on their colour (d1 for the White queen, d8 for the Black queen).
Kings:
Place the kings on the remaining squares (e1 for White, e8 for Black).
Goal of the Game:
The objective of chess is to checkmate your opponent's king. This means putting the king in a position where it is under attack and cannot escape. Understanding the basics of the chessboard and pieces is essential for developing strategies to achieve this goal.