How to play chess – the basics Categories Gaming Date/Time 2017-02-23 - 03:26 Author Christopher Goddard Chess is a popular board game that is played by millions of people around the world. It is a strategy game and many amateurs and professional play it in competitions and also as a pastime. If you are interested in learning the game, there are a few basic things that you need to know. Here are a few tips to help you get started. Buying a board Before you start you need to purchase a chess board because in order to become proficient in this game you need to have a board with you. If you look around you will find, wooden, plastic and even metal chess boards for sale. The prices can range from a few dollars to five hundred dollars or even more. If you are a beginner, you can get one that is not too expensive. Learning the game In your box, you will find one board with checkered black and white squares. You will also find 32 pieces of which 16 are white, and 16 are black. You need first to learn how to place them on the board. Laying the pieces Select one color and start on one side and the row closest to you. Put a rook, knight, bishop, king, queen, bishop, knight, and rook in that order. You should be left with eight pawns which all go in the next row. The next step is to learn the moves each piece can make. The rook This piece can move Horizontally or vertically any number of squares at a time. It is also used to perform the move known as castling when there are no pieces between it and the king. The knight This piece performs a unique move which is an ‘L’ shape. It can jump over other pieces while making this move. The bishop The bishop moves diagonally and can move any number of squares at a time. The queen This is the most versatile piece on the board, and it can move in any direction diagonal or vertical. It can move any number of rows at a time, but it cannot perform the move made by the knight. The king The king can move in any direction but only one space at a time. And it can also partake in the castling move with the rook. Pawns Pawns can only move one step forward at a time except for the first move which may be two. They can cut other pieces diagonally only. Now that you know the basics of chess you can start playing with an opponent.
