For Beginners

Chess Rules For Beginners

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Chess is a classic two-player strategy game played on an 8×8 board of alternating light and dark squares. Each player begins with 16 pieces: a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns. The objective of the game is to place the opponent’s king in checkmate, meaning the king is under threat of capture and cannot escape[2].

Setting Up the Board: Place the board so that a white (light) square is in the bottom right corner for both players. Place the rooks on the corners, then knights next to the rooks, bishops next to the knights, the queen on her matching color (white queen on white, black queen on black), and the king on the remaining square. Pawns are placed on the second rank in front of all the other pieces[1][5].

  • White always moves first. Afterward, players alternate turns, moving one piece per turn[2][3][4].
  • Pawns move forward one square, but capture diagonally. On their first move, pawns can move forward two squares. When pawns reach the furthest rank, they can be promoted to any other piece (except king)[1][3].
  • Rooks move any number of squares horizontally or vertically[1][4].
  • Knights move in an “L” shape: two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicular. Knights can jump over other pieces[3].
  • Bishops move diagonally any number of squares[1].
  • Queens move any number of squares in any direction: horizontal, vertical, or diagonal[1][4].
  • Kings move one square in any direction. The king cannot move to a square that is under attack[4].

Special Rules:

  • Castling allows the king and a rook to move simultaneously if certain conditions are met: neither piece has moved before, the squares between them are empty, the king is not in check and does not move through or into check. The king moves two squares toward the rook, and the rook moves to the square immediately next to the king on the opposite side[4].
  • En passant is a special pawn capture that can occur when an opposing pawn moves forward two squares from its starting position and lands next to your pawn; you may capture it as if it had moved only one square forward, but only on the next move[3].
  • Pawn promotion occurs when a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board; it can become a queen, rook, bishop, or knight[3].

Check and Checkmate:

  • If a king is threatened with capture, it is in check. The threatened player must make a move to remove the check.
  • If a king cannot escape check, the game ends in checkmate, and the opponent wins.
  • If neither player can checkmate, the game may end in a draw for various situations (stalemate, threefold repetition, insufficient material, etc.)[2][5].

Basic Strategy for Beginners:

  • Control the center with your pawns and pieces.
  • Develop (move) your pieces early and efficiently.
  • Keep your king safe, usually by castling early.
  • Don’t leave pieces unprotected (‘hanging’ pieces can be taken without compensation)[7].

References

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