Chess is played on a square board with 64 squares, arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. The squares alternate between a light and a dark color. When you set up the board, make sure each player has a light-colored square in the bottom-right corner.

The board has a coordinate system to name each square. The vertical columns are called files, labeled 'a' through 'h'. The horizontal rows are called ranks, labeled '1' through '8'. This lets you pinpoint any square on the board, like 'e4' or 'g7'.

Each player starts with an army of 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns. Let's look at how each one moves.

The pawn is the most basic piece, but it has some special rules. It normally moves one square straight forward. However, on its very first move, a pawn has the option to move two squares forward instead.

Pawns are also unique in how they capture. They can't capture a piece directly in front of them. Instead, a pawn captures one square diagonally forward. It's the only piece that captures differently from how it normally moves.

The rook moves in straight lines, as far as it wants, horizontally or vertically. It can't jump over other pieces. If an opponent's piece is in its path, it can stop on that square to capture it.

The bishop moves in straight lines diagonally, as far as it wants. Like the rook, it can't jump over other pieces. Each player starts with two bishops: one that moves on the light squares and one that moves on the dark squares. A bishop will always stay on the color it started on.

The knight has a unique move that looks like an 'L' shape. It moves two squares in one direction (horizontally or vertically) and then one square at a right angle. The knight is the only piece that can jump over other pieces, friend or foe.

The queen is the most powerful piece on the board. She combines the powers of the rook and the bishop, meaning she can move any number of squares in a straight line—horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Finally, the king. The king is the most important piece, but it's not the most powerful. The king can move one square in any direction: horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The whole point of the game is to protect your king while attacking your opponent's.

Now that you know the pieces, let's put them on the board. The setup is the same every time.

1. Rooks go in the corners.
2. Knights go 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 a light square (d1), and the black queen on a dark square (d8).
5. The king takes the last remaining square on the back rank.
6. Finally, the eight pawns are placed in a line on the rank in front of the other pieces.

When you're done, the board will be mirrored, with both sides set up identically.

With the board set up and an understanding of how the pieces move, you're ready to make your first move. White always goes first.