How to Play Chess

War is found in places torn with bombs and bullets, but chess is a war that takes place in the mind. Chess takes players to a time where kings and queens ruled the world, with bishops by their sides and knights flanking their castle walls. Chess is a game where even the most lowly and loyal of pawns become worthy additions to the victory of any battle. In chess, the most epic battles are played in the smallest of boards, among the greatest of minds.

Chess is considered to be a difficult game. Grandmasters take thousands of games and a lifetime of worthy opposition to rack up winning streaks and create world records. Chess is all about intellect, strategy, and making wise moves. If you don’t know how to play chess, or if you want to brush up on some of its fundamentals, here are some ways for you to gain a fuller understanding and appreciation of the game.

The Goal of Chess

Chess is a simulated battleground set in the age of royalty. Two players play the game on a square board with 64 squares set in a checkered pattern: 32 white squares, and 32 dark squares. Each player takes control of 16 pieces, each with a set number of moves. Players take turns to move their pieces.

The objective of chess is for you to capture the opponent’s King by strategically eliminating pieces that protect it, while at the same time keeping your own King from getting captured:

• Checking means that the King is about to be captured by the opponent because it is not protected. The player must then find a move that will either protect the King, or eliminate the piece that will capture the King. The player typically says “Check” to signal his or her opponent to make the necessary move.
• Checkmate means that the check has been performed, but there are no moves left to protect the King. Checkmates signal a loss for the opponent; the winning player either says “Checkmate,” or takes out the opponent’s King from the game board.
• Resigns occur when the player assumes that the odds of winning the game are too great. The player says “Resign” to count the game as a loss so that the players can start over.

Game Pieces

The pieces are first arranged at the two rows nearest to the player. All 16 pieces under the control of a player have different moves, or “roles,” to play in the game:

• Eight pawns start at the front row of the game board. Pawns can only move one square forward at a time, and can only capture pieces found diagonally ahead of it.
• Two rooks are positioned at the two corners of the player’s side of the board. Rooks can move and capture pieces ahead, beside and ahead of it. Rooks are not allowed to skip squares if the player chooses not to capture a piece.
• Two knights are positioned beside the rooks. Knights can move and capture pieces for as long as the piece or the destination square is two squares ahead, beside, or ahead of it, and one square beside the second square. Knights are allowed to skip pieces if they get in the way of the movement.
• Two bishops are positioned beside the knights. Bishops can move and capture pieces for as long as they are diagonal to the color of their square. A player has one bishop that can move along white squares, and another that can move along dark squares. Bishops are not allowed to skip over pieces on a game board.
• The Queen takes the color of the side the player plays, and is considered to be the most powerful piece in the game. Queens can move ahead, behind, or diagonally. A player who loses the Queen is often put into a severe disadvantage in the game.
• The King is the most important piece in the game. Kings can move and capture pieces within a one-square distance of its position. Losing the King means the game is over.

Special Moves

There are some special moves in chess that players should know about:

• Advancing a pawn means that, provided the piece hasn’t moved yet, the pawn can advance two squares ahead instead of just one square. Advancing is a very important technique in many chess openings.
• Promoting pawns happens when a player’s pawn reaches the opponent’s back row. The player controlling the pawn may now call the pawn to be promoted, and a new piece replaces it. Most players usually call for a Queen. The promoted pawn is not limited to captured pieces; there are games where there are two or more Queens in play.
• Castling is a move where the King is protected by a rook found in a square with the same color as the King. The rook is then moved two squares to the left, while the King is moved two squares to the right just behind the rook. For castling to be valid, both the King and the rook should not have moved, and there are no pieces in between the King and the rook.
• En passant (French for “in passing”) is a move where a pawn is captured when the enemy pawn is found on the fifth row, and the opponent elects to advance the pawn beside the enemy pawn. The enemy pawn can then capture the pawn as if it just moved within the square where it can be captured.

Chess Strategies

Playing chess is not a matter of merely moving pieces around to get close to the opponent’s King. One way that you could learn about chess is to read chess strategy manuals, watch chess games, or practice chess with computer simulated opponents. Here are some important things to remember in chess:

• Be very careful with your moves; one wrong move can cause a checkmate. Checkmates can occur in as short as just four moves.
• Take your time when playing, unless you’re playing a timed game.
• Explore all the possible positions and moves you can make during your turn, and choose the best one that will checkmate your opponent, without you opening up your own King to a checkmate.
• Be courteous and respectful when you play chess.

Now that you have an birds-eye view of how the game is played, you can then break out the old chessboard, set it up, and engage an opponent in a meeting of the minds and a battle of the brains.