How To Play Chess Part 1

European Chess Set

How To Play Chess Part 1

Learning how to play chess is not as simple as it may seem. Understanding the chess board set up is the first step in learning how to play chess.

When learning how to play chess the first thing you need to understand is that chess is a two player board strategy game.

•  A chess board is a play area composed of 64 squares arranged in an 8 x 8 grid, each square alternating in color,typically in black and white. The chess pieces are also typically black and white.
• The chess board is further broken down into 8 rows from top to bottom known as ranks and numbered 1-8.
• The chessboard is further broken down into 8 rows from left to right known as files and are identified with letters from A-H.
• Each chess player starts with 16 chess pieces comprised of: 1 king, 1 queen,2 rooks, 2 knights,2 bishops and 8 pawns.
• The chess board is placed on the playing surface with the lightest colored square being in the right-hand corner, as in the following picture:

Chess Board Set-Up

• The chess pieces are placed on the chess board starting with the first row( the bottom row in the picture above), the chess pieces are placed from left to right starting with a rook, a knight, a Bishop, a queen, a king, a Bishop, a knight and then a rook
• The second row of chess pieces are simply all eight pawns. The second row is the second row from the bottom in the picture above.

The Next Step Of Learning How to Play Chess Is Learning Each Of The Chess Pieces Legal Movements

To start the game of chess typically the chess player with white chess pieces will make the first move.

Each of the chess pieces can only be moved according to the chess rules for each individual chess piece: 

• The King can move 1 square in any direction.
• The King has a special move in the game of chess known as Castling and involves using the Rook, we will go into this in more detail in the next section.
• The Rook can move any number of squares along any rank or file but cannot leap over other pieces. The Rook is also used in special move that can be executed by the King known as castling, we will go into this in more detail in the next section.
• The Bishop can move any number of squares diagonally but it cannot leap over other pieces.
• The Queen is able to move like the Rook and Bishop as well it can move any number squares along ranked, file or diagonally but it cannot leap over other pieces.
• The Knight can move to any 2 squares vertically and 1 horizontally or it may move 2 squares horizontally and 1 square vertically, the Knights move will shape an "L". The Knight is the only piece that can leap over other pieces.
• The Pawn can move forward to an unoccupied square immediately in front of it on the same file or on its first move it may move two squares along the same file as long as both squares are unoccupied. It may also move to a square occupied by your opponents chess piece diagonally in front of it on an adjacent file and capture your opponents chess piece, removing your opponents chess piece from play. The Pawn has two special moves that can be executed during the game of chess. The En Passant Capture and Pawn Promotion, we will talk about these later during this series called "How to Play Chess" this week.

Special Chess Moves

Castling

Castling is a chess move that was mentioned above that involves using the King and the Rook simultaneously in which the king moves 2 squares towards a Rook. The Rook that the King moved towards will move to the square at the other side of the game.
There are 2 types of Castling.

• Short: on the Kings side.
• Long: on the Queens side.

Castling is a chess move that can be executed one time during each chess game and is only allowed if certain game conditions exist.

You can see an example of this chess move in the picture below:

Castling for more detail please visit: http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/castling/index.htm

You may also follow the link underneath the picture above for a more detailed understanding of this particular chess move known as Castling.

When You Are Not Allowed To Castle

There are times during the game of chess that you or not allowed to Castle they are:

• The King moved previously in the game.
• The Rook that castled had been moved previously during the game.
• When there are chess pieces between the King and Rook.
• When your opponent or you have a King in check.
• When the King moves through a square on the chess board that is under attack by an opponents chess pieces for piece.
• When the execution of Castling would put the King in Check.

Well I think that this is a good place to stop for today so that you may absorb what little bit of information I have given you here on the topic of how to play chess.

Tomorrow we will break down how to play chess even more starting with the 2 types of Castling.

I hope you enjoyed this post and would like you to know that here At Ziggys Collectables-N-Gifts You May Purchase High-Quality Chess Sets, They Range from Myth and Legend themed To Historical themed chess sets just follow the link over at the side of this post labels High Quality Chess Sets. 

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