Chess is a game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and involves both ability and strategy. It’s been around for centuries as a game for intellectuals and scholars; however, anyone can play this game.
In this article, I will be showing you how to play Chess even if you know nothing about chess.
If you’re serious about learning how to play chess, you should pay close attention to what I’m going to tell you.
Here’s you will discover;
- How to play chess as a beginner .
- The Basic Rules Of the Chess game.
- The top important Rules to take note of when playing the game.
How To Play Chess As A Beginner.
It’s important to remember at the start of the game that the chessboard should be set up such that each player has the light colors square on the bottom right hand side.
This video below explains in depth.
- Setup: Which square does the queen go on? Find out as we get ready to play by placing your pieces.
- Basic rules: Learn how each chess piece moves and captures.
- Check and checkmate: Surround your opponent’s king to win.
- Advanced rules: Promotion, en passant and castling explained.
How to set-up a chess board
Two players compete on an eight-by-eight-square chess board. The 64 squares alternate between light and dark colors – traditionally, black and white. When properly set up, a white square should be the rightmost square along the edge closest to each player.
The two horizontal rows (known as ranks) closest to each player are where the players’ pieces are placed. The second rank – ie. the second row from the player’s perspective – consists of a line of eight pawns, each placed on a single square.
The closer rank is nearly symmetrical, with rooks (also known as castles) placed on the two leftmost and rightmost corner squares, followed by knights on the inside space next to them, then bishops.
The two central squares of the rank are occupied by the king and queen.The queen is placed on the square with the same color as her (for example, a black queen on a black square), while the king is placed on the remaining square of the opposite color. This means that the king and queen of each colour face each other, making the correct setup symmetrical between the two players.
The white player takes the opening move, with players exchanging single turns until a player is vanquished by checkmate or resigns. It is also possible to agree on a draw. If playing with an optional timer, as in tournaments, the first player to run out of time forfeits the game.
How to capture pieces
A piece is captured and removed from the board if it falls in a spot shared by an opponent’s piece. Pieces of the same color cannot be placed on the same square as each other. When a piece captures an opponent’s piece, it must finish its current move action and end the player’s turn.
How to move chess pieces
Pawn
Pawns move one square forward in a straight line. They cannot move horizontally, diagonally or backwards.
If a pawn has yet to be moved during the game, this is an exception. A pawn can be advanced two squares forward in a single move if it hasn’t moved yet. Both squares must be empty. The player can also choose to move the piece a single square.
The only time a pawn may move diagonally is when capturing an opponent’s piece. Pawns may capture an opponent’s piece on either of the diagonal spaces to the left or right ahead of the piece. As part of capturing the piece, the pawn will move diagonally to replace the captured piece. A pawn cannot capture an adjacent piece on any other square, or move diagonally without capturing.
Rook (Castle)
The rook, sometimes called the castle, can move any number of squares horizontally along its current row (rank) or column (file). It cannot pass through pieces of the same colour, and can capture pieces of the opposite colour by moving onto an occupied space. It cannot move diagonally for any reason.
Knight
Knights are the only chess pieces that can ‘leap’ over other pieces to travel ‘through’ them. It captures pieces as normal by landing on a space occupied by a piece of the opposite colour and cannot move to a square occupied by a piece of the same colour, but may move over pieces of either colour during its move.
Knights move in a fixed ‘L’ pattern: two squares forward, backward, left or right, then one square horizontally or vertically, or vice versa – one square forward, backward, left or right, followed by two squares horizontally or vertically to complete the ‘L’ shape.
This means that the knight can always move to the closest square that is not on its current row (rank), column (file) or directly adjacent diagonally.
The knight must move the full distance – it cannot move just two squares in a straight line without also moving one to the side, for instance.
Bishop
The bishop can move any number of squares diagonally – this means it always moves along the diagonal line of squares matching the current colour of its square. This means that each player begins the game with one bishop that can move on each colour. A bishop cannot move horizontally or vertically for any reason. It cannot move through pieces of the same colour, and captures a piece of the opposite colour by moving onto its square.
Queen
The queen may move any number of squares horizontally, vertically or diagonally. These actions must be performed in a single straight line throughout a single round. (In other words, you can’t move three squares diagonally, followed by three spaces vertically.) The queen cannot move through pieces of the same colour, and captures a piece of the opposite colour by moving onto its square.
King
The king moves a single space horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The king cannot move into a space that would grant a check or checkmate to the opponent player.
As an exception to all other chess pieces, the king is never captured – a player loses the match when the king is placed into checkmate, which would lead to an unavoidable capture on the opponent’s next turn.
What is check and checkmate?
When a piece moves in a way that would allow a player to capture the opponent’s king on their next turn, the attacking player typically announces “check”.
The player placed into check must move their king or move another piece to stop the attack on their next turn – either by blocking the move or capturing the attacking piece.
If a player creates a situation where their opponent cannot stop their king from being captured on the next turn, the attacking player announces “checkmate” and immediately wins the game. The king is never captured – a game of chess is won when a successful checkmate is announced.
A player can also choose to resign, granting their opponent the victory. Matches can also end in an agreed draw – for example, as the result of stalemate leaving a player without any legal moves, or if no player can win using available legal moves, a situation known as a “dead position”. One example of a dead position is when both players are left with their king as their only remaining piece on the board.
Draws can also occur as the result of advanced rules typically used in professional tournaments, including identical board positions occurring three or five times – rules known respectively as threefold repetition and fivefold repetition – or no captures or pawn moves taking place within the last 50 or 75 moves. The exact rules used can depend on the tournament and agreement between the players.
Advanced chess rules
Chess has a number of advanced rules, as well as specific openings and board positions known by various names, ranging from the Double King’s Pawn Opening to the famous King’s Gambit and Queen’s Gambit.
Advanced rules can include specific variants that change the game’s core rules. As well as surrounding requirements that are frequently used in tournament settings. Such as timing and the touch-move rule, which states that a piece must make a legal move once it is touched by a player.
As this is a beginner’s guide to learning chess, we’ll only be covering some of the essential advanced rules here – rules that should always be used in conjunction with the basic rules for moving and capturing pieces, as well as the standard setup and rules for declaring checkmate.
Once you know the basics of how to play chess, there are hundreds of books and other resources out there to help you discover the deep strategy and near-endless variations possible during games – as well as local tournaments that can help you refine your play and tactics.
Advanced chess rules
There are a number of advanced rules that can be used in chess. Along with specific openings and board positions known by a variety of names. From the Double King’s Pawn Opening to the famous King’s Gambit and Queen’s Gambit.
Advanced rules can include specific variants that alter the core rules of the game. Along with surrounding requirements often used in tournament settings, such as timing and the touch-move rule. Which states that once a piece is touched by a player, it must make a legal move.
Because this is a beginner’s guide to learning chess, we’ll only cover some of the most important advanced rules here. The basic rules for moving and capturing pieces, should always be used in conjunction with these rules.
There are hundreds of books and other resources available to help you discover the deep strategy and near-endless variations possible during games. once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of chess. As well as local tournaments to help you refine your play and tactics.
What is Castling?
Castling is perhaps the most complicated basic rule in chess, and as a result, many beginners frequently overlook it.
Castling is permitted when a player’s king piece and a rook have not yet moved during the game. Castling can be done with either rook as long as they haven’t moved. They are still in their starting corners on the edge nearest to the controlling player.
A player casts by moving the king piece two squares towards the rook with which they are casting. Then moving the rook to the square that the king traveled through. This effectively moves the rook to the opposite side of the king. While the king moves two squares towards where the rook started the game. The king only moves two squares whether the rook is closer to the king (kingside) or one square further away (queenside).
If the king is currently in check, it cannot be used in a castling maneuver. However, a rook can be castled even if it is threatened by an opponent’s piece. In other words, if it can be caught during the next turn of the opponent. Or on any of the squares it passes through while completing the move.
Castling, as usual, cannot be used to move the king if doing so would put the king in check. Castling is also ineffective when there are any pieces between the king and the rook. The squares between must be clear.
The top important Rules to take note of when playing the game.
- OPEN with a CENTER PAWN.
- DEVELOP with threats.
- KNIGHTS before BISHOPS.
- DON’T move the same piece twice.
- Make as FEW PAWN MOVES as possible in the opening.
- DON’T bring out your QUEEN too early.
- CASTLE as soon as possible, preferably on the KING SIDE.
- ALWAYS PLAY TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE CENTER.
- Try to maintain at least ONE PAWN in the center.
- DON’T SACRIFICE without a clear and adequate reason.