Rules for the Game of Chess
The Chess Board
The standard chess board is comprised of 64 squares of alternating color. Whatever the two colors happen to be, one is termed light, and the other dark.
The squares are arranged into rows, also known as ranks, and columns which can also be called files. Pieces are initially set up parallel to columns, and perpendicular to rows.
The Chess Pieces
The pieces are divided into two teams, with one being called white, and the other being called black, despite whatever color the actual pieces may be. Each side starts off with 16 pieces.
1 King Each – The king is the most important piece in the game. The entire objective of chess, is to try and capture your opponents king, while protecting your own. The king can move one space in any direction, and can capture by occupying an adjacent pieces spot.
1 Queen Each – The queen is the most powerful piece on the board. They can move in a straight line in any direction, as far as they want, as long as another piece does not get in the way. If it is an opponent’s piece, the queen can capture it by moving onto its square.
2 Bishops Each – The bishop’s are usually the third tallest pieces on the board. The can move in a straight diagonal line as far as they
2 Knights Each – The knight can move two spaces in any direction, and then one space to either the right or the left. The initial 2 squares can be taken in any straight line, but the final square has to be perpendicular to the original. The knight is also made special in that its movements allow it to jump over other pieces. In fact the knight can only interact with a piece that is on the square where it lands at the end of the move.
2 Rooks Each – The rook can move in a straight line, forward or sideways, as many spaces as you like, until it is blocked by another piece.
8 Pawns Each – The pawns make up the front lines of your army. They stand in the row ahead of the more valuable pieces, and generally can only move one square, straight forward. On a pawns first move however, it can move two spaces forward. A pawn also has to capture pieces by moving diagonally forward.
Setting up the Game
At the beginning of the game, the board is positioned in such a way that both players have one of the light colored squares closest to them on the right. The pieces are set up horizontally along the two closest columns to the player whose army it is.
In the closest column, the pieces are set up left to right in the following order.
Rook. Knight. Bishop. King and or Queen. Bishop. Knight. Rook.
The position of the queen is based on the color of your army, with white colored queens being placed on light colored squares, and black colored queens always being placed on dark squares.
Game Play
The white team makes the first move. Pieces are moved one at a time, and can be moved to any space on the board that they can reach, and which is unoccupied. If the space is occupied with an enemy piece, the piece will be captured when your piece moves onto it. Captured pieces are removed from play.
Casteling is a move in which both the king and the rook move during the same turn, to a predefined position, under special circumstances. En passant is a move done by two opposing pawns, in which one pawn can capture the other, under special conditions, without moving to their square.
If during play a pawn reach the other end of the board, it is said to be promoted, and can be exchanged for any other piece the player wants, with the exception of the King.
If during play, a players pieces move into such a position that on the next play, they can capture their opponents King, the opposite player is said to be in check. When a player is placed in check, they have to move their piece on the next turn to get themselves out of check.
When it becomes impossible for a player to move their pieces in order to get out of check, they lose their king, and are said to be in checkmate. When you are placed in checkmate, you lose the game.
Other ways for the game to end are in a draw, where neither side captures the others king. A player can also forfeit in desperate situations. If the game is timed a player can also lose by running out of time.
