Basic Rules of Chess

While it is not possible to outline every rule of chess in a single article, you should be able to learn some of the basics without ever sitting down at the board. Speaking of the board, it is a square that is made up of eight columns and eight rows. There are a total of 64 squares and the colors alternate from dark to light.

The pieces are divided between the two players, with each one getting 16. One player will use the white pieces, and the other will use the black ones. The 16 pieces include eight pawns, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, one queen, and one king. The color that each player uses is decided by a mutual agreement, director of the game, or a game of chance. When it comes down to it, the color that you use has nothing to do with the way that you play the game; except for the first move.

In a game of chess, the white player has the benefit of making the first move. The players will then alternate back and forth moving one piece at a time. The only exception to this is known as castling. This is when both the king and a rook are moved at the same time. Pieces can be moved to squares that are unoccupied, or one that is occupied by the opposition. Obviously, the only way that you can move to an occupied square is if you have the more powerful piece. This will allow you to capture the other player’s piece, and in turn, remove it from the board.

When a king is under attack by the opposition, it is referred to as being in check. A player is not allowed to move in any way that will put his own king in this position. When a king is in check, the game requires that the player makes an immediate move to change this. If a player does not have the ability to move his king out of check, this is known as a checkmate. And when this happens, the game is over.

These are nothing more than the basic rules of chess. When it comes down to it, your main goal is to checkmate your opposition. Simply put, if you are successful in doing this you are going to be victorious. Although there are many other minor rules that you must be aware of, these should help to get you started with the game of chess.