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INTRODUCTION
The game of chess is over 1300 years old and is one of the most popular games in the world.
It has received more total thought time than many great works of art and literature. Like a
great work of art, chess is a paradox on many levels. It's easy to learn but can take a lifetime
to master. There are few games which can match its usefulness as a tool for developing
mental abilities, yet it's downright fun. Intuitor.com has provided these online instructions to
assist beginners and help promote the outstanding game of chess.
Chess is a two-person board game which simulates a battle between two opposing armies.
The board has sixty-four squares of alternating colors. Each player has a set of sixteen pieces
as shown below. One player will have a set of dark or black pieces and the other a light or
white set. These symbolize opposing armies.
8 Pawns
2 Bishops
2 Knights
2 Rooks, or Castles
1 Queen
1 King
Moving and capturing: White moves first followed by black. The players continue taking
turns using only their own pieces until the game ends. A turn consists of a single act of either
moving or capturing. When a piece is moved, it is relocated in the center of a different
square. A player can only capture an opponent's piece, not their own. When a chess piece is
captured, it is removed from the board and replaced by the attacking piece. Unlike checkers,
multiple captures are not allowed during the same move. Captures are also optional. The
exception is when the king is in jeopardy and the only way to save him is to capture a
threatening piece.
BOARD SETUP
The playing board is the battlefield of the game. It's traditionally oriented so that each player
has a white square on the corner to his or her right. The pieces are arranged on the board as
shown. Note that the queen always is placed on a square of her own color.
figure 1. Chess Board Setup
DESCRIPTION OF PIECES
Pawn: The pawn is considered the weakest piece on the board. It moves laterally one square
at a time, as shown in figure 2, with one exception. Each pawn can be advanced by two
squares the first time it's moved. Pawns can only move in the forward direction. When they
reach the last row, and can be moved no further, they can be promoted to any type of piece on
the board except for a king. Generally they are promoted to a queen since this is the most
powerful piece on the board. Hence, a player can have more than one queen.
Knight: Like the bishop, knights have about the same strength as three pawns. Knights are
moved in a rather unique manner, one square diagonally and one square laterally (see figure
3). They can move forwards or backwards and are the only pieces which can jump over other
pieces (see figure 4). Knights capture by moving in their normal manner to a square occupied
by an opponent's piece and replacing it.
Queen: The queen is the most powerful piece on the board and is the equivalent of about
nine pawns. A queen can move diagonally like a bishop or laterally like a castle (see figure
6). Like the bishop and the castle, a queen cannot turn corners in a single move. It captures in
the same manner as either a castle or a bishop.
SPECIAL MOVES
Castling: While the rook is the second most powerful piece on the board, it starts the game in
a poor position to use its power. Also the king, the most important piece on the board, is
located in a position which becomes increasingly vulnerable as the game develops. To
overcome these problems castling was invented. It is the only time more than one piece can
be moved at a time. In castling the king is moved two squares toward one of his rooks and
then the rook is placed on the opposite side of the king. For example, if the king moves two
squares to the right, the rook is placed one square to the left of the king. This usually places
the king in a safer position behind a wall of pawns. It also places the rook in a more powerful
position near the center of the board. A king can castle to either side but can only castle once
and cannot jump over pieces in the way.
Castling can only occur under the following conditions:
1. It hasn't been previously done
2. There are no pieces in the way
3. Neither the rook nor the king have been moved
4. None of the squares the king must pass through are guarded by the
opponent's pieces. In other words, if moving the king one square
instead of two squares would place the king in check then castling is
prohibited.
5. The king is not in check.
Castling is a very powerful move and so it's generally a good idea to castle fairly early in the
game. Otherwise an opponent can force the king to move, making castling impossible.
Castling early also makes the power of the rooks more useful.
En passant: This is a form of capturing done by a pawn to a pawn and is possibly the least
understood rule in chess. Many people play for their entire lives and never use it. Needless to
say, if you're a beginner it's best to learn this rule after you have played a few games.
En passant was created so that pawns cannot evade capture by an opponent's pawns by
moving two squares on their first move. If this happens, then the opponent's pawn can capture
the pawn moving two squares just as though it had moved only one. An opponent can choose
not to exercise the right to capture a piece by en passant. However, the right must be used
immediately following the opportunity or it is lost.