Chess is a centuries-old game with roots in India. Some strategies used in today’s top tournaments
can be found in games from hundreds of years ago, while others emerged in the last two or three
decades with the introduction of artificial intelligence. This article serves as a guide to be your first
step toward learning one of the world’s most popular board games.
A chessboard is a square with eight rows (or ranks) and eight columns (or files). The squares are
alternately light and dark. The square at the bottom right side of a chessboard is always light.
The pieces are always arranged in the same manner.
The king and queen are in the center of the first rank. (Because the queen always goes on the
opposite color, the white queen should be on a light square and the black queen should be on a dark
square.) A bishop, a knight, and a rook are on either side of the pair, working toward the edges. The
second rank is always made up of eight pawns.
For any number of empty squares, rooks move in a straight line, horizontally, or vertically.
Knights move in an L shape, with two squares horizontally or vertically followed by one square at a 90
degree angle. The only piece that can jump over another is a knight.
For any number of empty squares, bishops move diagonally. Each bishop begins on a light or dark
square and remains on that color square throughout the game. Some commentators will refer to a
“light” or “dark” square bishop.
For any number of empty squares, the queen can move horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
The king can move one square in either direction. The king cannot move to a square where another
piece is attacking it. The distance between opposing kings must be at least one square.
Pawns advance one square at a time. Pawns can move two squares forward on their first move but cannot jump over other pieces. They can only capture in diagonal directions.
White always moves first, and each player may only move one piece per turn. Going first provides a
slight advantage to the player with the white pieces.
A check is an attack on the king. When the king is under attack, the attacker must be captured or the
the king must move to a safe square.
Castling is a unique move that allows a player to move two pieces simultaneously. The king moves
two squares in either direction and the rook jumps to the king’s other side.
It allows you to safely move your king and your rook to the center of the board, where it is stronger.
When it comes to casting, there are a few ground rules to follow. If a player is in check, they cannot
castle. The king cannot castle if it crosses an enemy-controlled square or moves onto an enemy-
controlled square. If there are pieces between the king and the rook, the king cannot castle. It must
be the king’s and the rook’s first moves.
When a pawn advances to the opposite end of the board, it becomes a knight, bishop, rook, or
queen. Regardless of whether the player has previously captured one of these pieces, a pawn can
promote into any of them.
Pawns can perform a type of capture known as en passant. En passant means “while passing.” If a
pawn moves two squares on its opening move and lands adjacent to an opposing pawn, the
the opponent can move diagonally behind the first player’s pawn to capture it.
This can only be done immediately after the first pawn moves two squares.
Chess games are won by putting the opponent’s king into checkmate. This is the point at which the
king is restrained and unable to flee. The king is not captured like a regular piece; checkmate simply
ends the game.
If a player’s clock reaches zero in a timed chess game, they lose.
A player has the option to resign at any time.
A chess game can sometimes end in a draw. There are five possible outcomes.
1). Stalemate occurs when one player’s turn comes to an end and they have no legal moves.
2). The board does not have enough pieces for either player to checkmate the other.
3). Any player can claim a draw if a position is repeated three times. Repetition occurs when the
same pieces are on the same squares and the move is made by the same player. These do not have
to occur in a row, so a draw by repetition could be claimed if the same position appeared on moves
23,27 and 28
4). Both players agree on a tie.
5). Fifty moves are played in a row where neither player has captured a piece or moved a pawn.
So there you have it guys, how to play the chess game for an absolute beginner. for more articles like this, do well to subscribe to our newsletter. That way you will be the first to get notified when we release something new.