Every game of chess happens on the same battlefield: an eight-by-eight grid of 64 squares. The squares alternate between light and dark colors. No matter which way you turn the board, the bottom-right square for each player should always be a light-colored one.

To talk about chess, we need a way to name every square. The board is organized into rows and columns.

The horizontal rows are called ranks. They are numbered 1 through 8. The player with the white pieces starts with their pieces on ranks 1 and 2, while the player with the black pieces starts on ranks 7 and 8.

The vertical columns are called files. They are labeled with letters, 'a' through 'h'.

By combining a file letter and a rank number, you can name any square. For example, the square in the bottom-left corner is 'a1'. The square in the top-right is 'h8'. This system is called algebraic notation, and it's the standard way to describe moves and positions in chess.

Besides ranks and files, pieces also move along diagonals. A diagonal is a line of squares of the same color that touch at the corners. The board has light-square diagonals and dark-square diagonals.

Some diagonals are short, like the one connecting a1 and b2. Others are very long, stretching from one corner of the board to the other, like the diagonal from a1 to h8.

Now let's place the army. Both sides have the same set of 16 pieces. Setting them up correctly is the first step of any game.

1. Rooks go in the corners. For White, that's a1 and h1. For Black, a8 and h8.
2. Knights stand next to the rooks.
3. Bishops go next to the knights.
4. The Queen goes on the central square of her own color. The white queen starts on d1 (a light square), and the black queen starts on d8 (a dark square).
5. The King takes the last remaining square on the back rank, right next to his queen.
6. Finally, the eight Pawns form a wall on the rank in front of the other pieces. For White, this is the 2nd rank. For Black, the 7th rank.

With the board set up, you're ready to learn how the pieces move. But first, let's test your knowledge of the board.

You now understand the layout of the chessboard, the names for its rows, columns, and diagonals, and how to set up the pieces for a game. This is the foundation for everything that comes next.