Introduction to Chess
Chess Basics
The Battlefield
Every game of chess happens on an 8x8 grid of 64 squares. The squares alternate between a light and a dark color. No matter which way you turn the board, a light-colored square should always be in the bottom-right corner for each player. Think of it as “light on the right.”
The board has a coordinate system to identify each square. The rows, called ranks, are numbered 1 through 8. The columns, called files, are labeled with letters a through h.
This grid is where two armies, one light (White) and one dark (Black), will face off. Each army is made up of 16 pieces, with six unique types.
The Army
Each piece has its own way of moving across the board. Understanding these movements is the first step to playing.
The Pawn Pawns are the foot soldiers. On its first move, a pawn can advance either one or two squares forward. After that, it can only move one square forward at a time. Pawns capture differently than they move—they attack one square diagonally forward. They cannot move or capture backward.
The Rook The rook moves in straight lines, as many squares as it wants, horizontally or vertically. It can't jump over other pieces. If an opponent's piece is in its path, it can capture it by landing on its square.
The Knight The knight moves in an 'L' shape: two squares in one direction (horizontally or vertically), and then one square at a 90-degree angle. The knight is the only piece that can jump over other pieces, friend or foe.
The Bishop The bishop moves diagonally, as many squares as it wants. Like the rook, it cannot jump over other pieces. Each player starts with two bishops: one on a light square and one on a dark square. A bishop will always remain on squares of its starting color.
The Queen The queen is the most powerful piece. She combines the moves of the rook and the bishop, meaning she can move any number of squares in a straight line—horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. She is a major threat on the board.
The King The king is the most important piece, but also one of the weakest. He can move one square in any direction: horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The entire game revolves around protecting your king while trying to trap your opponent's.
Ready for Battle
The game always begins with the pieces set up in the same way. White's pieces are placed on ranks 1 and 2, and Black's pieces are on ranks 7 and 8.
The back rank (rank 1 for White, 8 for Black) is set up like this from the outside in: Rooks go on the corners, knights next to them, and then bishops. This leaves the two central squares. The queen goes on the square that matches her color (White queen on a light square, Black queen on a dark square), and the king takes the last remaining square.
The second rank (rank 2 for White, 7 for Black) is filled entirely with your eight pawns, acting as a defensive wall.
With the board set up and the rules of movement understood, you're ready to make your first move. White always moves first.