Chess20LearnHow to Play Chess: A Beginner’s Guide
Chess is a two-player strategy game that has been played for centuries. It is a game of skill, strategy and foresight, in which the goal is to put your opponent’s king in checkmate. It is played on an 8×8 grid, called the chessboard, with two players, each controlling 16 pieces, which move in specific manners. Here’s a guide to playing chess and knowing the basic rules.
Setting Up the Chessboard
Before you start the game, you must set up the chessboard. The chessboard is 64 squares in an 8 by 8 grid. Its squares are colored either white or black. When you set up the board, ensure that the rightmost square on each player’s side is a light-colored square.
Positioning the Pieces:
Last row (nearest the player):
Rooks go in the corners.
Next to the rooks, come the knights.
This is where bishops go next to the knights.
Queens go in the center (same color as player). If you’re white, you want your queen on the white square. If you’re black, your queen goes on the black square.
Kings are put in the last square left, beside the queen.
Front Row (row 2): All the pawns. Both players line up eight pawns in the row before their other pieces.
Chess Position notations and movement of pieces
Every chess piece moves in its own way:
Pawn:
Goes forward 1 square but eats diagonally.
It can advance two squares on its initial move.
When it reaches the opponent’s back row, a pawn may be promoted to a queen, rook, bishop or knight.
Rook:
Any number of squares laterally or vertically.
It can also be involved in castling, a special move that involves the king.
Knight:
An “L” shape: two squares in one direction (up, down, left, right), then one square perpendicular. It’s the only piece that can leapfrog over other pieces.
Bishop:
Maneuvers diagonally any amount of space.
As each bishop is restricted to the square on which it started (i.e., a light-squared bishop may move on light squares only, and a dark-squared bishop may move on dark squares only).
Queen:
The most powerful piece. The queen moves as a rook and bishop combined, any number of squares horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
King:
Moves one square in any direction (horizontally, vertically or diagonally).
The game is over once a king gets checkmated.
The Objective of the Game
The objective in chess, much like in checkers, is to eliminate your opponent’s pieces. This means the king is in a position to be captured (in “check”) and there is no legal move the opponent can make to escape capture.
Special Moves
Alongside regular moves, chess has some special rules and moves:
Castling:
This is a special move that uses the king and one of the rooks. The king steps two squares towards the rook, and the rook then traps in the square next to the king on the other side.
The only time caslting is possible is when the king and rook have not previously moved, no pieces between them, and the king is not in check.
En Passant:
In this case, a pawn has advanced two squares from its starting position and ended up next to an opponent’s pawn. That pawn can be captured by an opponent as if it had only advanced a square. This step should be taken directly after the two-square pawn advance.
Pawn Promotion:
Upon reaching the back row of the opponent (eighth rank for white and first rank for black), a pawn is promoted to a new piece — queen, rook, bishop, or knight. The majority of players promote their pawn to a queen for the added power.
Taking Turns
Chess is played in turns. White plays first, and then take turns alternating. Each player may only move one piece per turn, except for in special scenarios (e.g., castling, en passant). Players move their pieces around until one of the following occurs:
Checkmate: One player checkmates their opponent’s king, which means that their opponent has no legal moves left to escape from capture, and that player wins the game.
Stalemate: One player cannot make a legal move, and their king is not in check, as a result play is drawn.
Agreed Draw: The players agree to a draw.
Draw due to Insufficient Material: If neither player has enough pieces to mate the other, a draw is declared.
Threefold Repetition: If the same position occurs three times, and the same player to play each time, a draw can be claimed.
Strategy Tips for Beginners
Own the center: You want to move your pawns and pieces onto the center of the board. This provides them with more space to maneuver and makes it more difficult for your opponent to dominate the game.
Don’t forget to develop your pieces: Move your knights, bishops and rooks toward the center early in the game to increase their scope.
King Safety: make sure your king is safe, always. Castling early is one method of placing your king in a safer position.
Don’t move the same piece twice: Early game, you want to be moving all your pieces out not just one.
Think ahead: Attempt to predict your opponent’s moves and consider a few steps in advance. This is central to effective chess strategy.
Ending the Game
The game is over at the moment of a checkmate of one of the players’ king or if the conditions for a draw are met. If a player checkmates the opposing king, they win the game. Players will have to react instantly, and follow with moves at the right time.
Conclusion:
Chess is a game that is difficult and enjoyable requiring strategy, patience and concentration. There is always room for improvement and learning whether you are a pro or a beginner. With practice and learning the various strategies, you can improve and appreciate this ancient game find more pleasurable.