Every game of chess starts with an empty board. It’s a grid of 64 squares, arranged in eight rows and eight columns, with colors alternating between light and dark.

Before placing any pieces, you need to orient the board correctly. This is a simple but crucial step. Make sure there is a light-colored square at the bottom-right corner for each player. A simple way to remember this is the phrase "white on the right."

Once the board is set, you and your opponent will place your armies. Each player starts with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. One player has the light-colored pieces (White), and the other has the dark-colored pieces (Black).

To talk about chess, players need a way to name every square on the board. The system for this is called algebraic notation. It works like a coordinate grid.

The vertical columns are called files. They are labeled with letters from 'a' to 'h', starting from White's left side.

The horizontal rows are called ranks. They are labeled with numbers from '1' to '8', starting from White's side of the board. Using a file letter and a rank number, you can give a unique name to any square. For example, the light square in White's bottom-right corner is 'h1'.

Now let's place the pieces. White's pieces go on ranks 1 and 2, and Black's pieces go on ranks 7 and 8.

Start with the pawns. They are the most numerous. Place all eight of your pawns in a line on your second rank. For White, this is rank 2. For Black, it's rank 7.

Next, set up the major pieces on your first rank (rank 1 for White, rank 8 for Black). The rooks, which look like castle towers, go in the corners.

• White's rooks: a1 and h1
• Black's rooks: a8 and h8

Next to the rooks, place the knights. They look like horses.

• White's knights: b1 and g1
• Black's knights: b8 and g8

Next to the knights come the bishops.

• White's bishops: c1 and f1
• Black's bishops: c8 and f8

Only two squares are left on the back rank: the d and e files. This is where the king and queen go. The placement is specific and important.

The queen always goes on the square of her own color. The White queen goes on the light square (d1), and the Black queen goes on the dark square (d8). The king takes the final remaining square next to his queen.

With all the pieces in place, the board is set and the game is ready to begin.

Let's test your knowledge of the setup.