The Moves

It is a funny thing, if you speak with someone who knows little about chess other than how the pieces move you will hear something similar to this, "Chess is complicated." Yet if you talk to someone who is well versed in chess you will hear them say to a beginner, "Chess is simple." Both statements are true from what I have seen in my relationship with chess. Is it weird I say relationship with chess?!

So before you even want to think about playing a Grandmaster (GM), or even someone who just learned chess, you must get familiar with how the pieces the move and some of the most basic rules. Now in the next blog, I will be going over algebraic notation so that you can start following along at home with your own chessboard and pieces.

The origins of chess are not that well known so I will not get into the murky waters of who invented chess and where it was invented; they made Google for those curious enough to know (just remember Wikipedia is a site that can be edited from someone like you). Now on to the how of chess...

Chess is played by two players who take turns making moves. Play takes place on a board with 64 squares (8 squares by 8 squares). The squares are alternately colored white and black. The board should be placed so that each player has a white square in the corner at their right (see picture below).

The chess pieces are colored light and dark, and are designated as White and Black. Each side starts off with sixteen chessmen:

1 King
1 Queen
2 Rooks
2 Bishops
2 Knights
8 Pawns

Let us start with a picture of a chess board first:

So this is how the chessboard is first set up. Each side has  their 8 pawns on the second row in front of the rest of the army. The 2 Rooks go on the farthest squares from the center on the first row. The 2 Knights go right next to the Rooks. The 2 Bishops go right next to the Knights. The Queen will always go on her own color (I remembered this because a lady will always match her shoes), thus the white Queen will go on the white square and the black Queen will always go on the black square. The King goes right beside his fair lady. Once you have the pieces set up it is time to learn how they move and capture.

A move is the transfer of one chess piece from one square to another. A capture is the removal of an opposing piece from the board; it is accomplished by actually removing the piece from its square and replacing it with the capturing piece. You cannot capture your own pieces.

How The Pieces Move:

The King:

• Can move or capture one square in any direction.
• The King cannot move to squares where it may be captured by enemy pieces. This would be considered 'Check' or 'Checkmate'.
• The King cannot move to a square already occupied by one of its own pieces. 
• The King can capture any enemy piece within its moving range (one square). The enemy piece must not be protected by another enemy piece. 
• The King is your most important piece. 

The Queen:

• Can move or capture as far as it wants in any direction -horizontally vertically, or diagonally- unless it is obstructed by a piece belonging to either side.
• The Queen combines the power of the Bishops and the Rooks.
• The Queen is your most powerful piece.

The Rook:

• Can move or capture horizontally or vertically like the Queen, but lacks the power to move diagonally.

The Bishop

• Is limited to diagonal moves or captures.
• The Bishop cannot move horizontally or vertically
• The Bishop is confined to the squares of the same color throughout the game that it started on.

The Knight

• Moves differently from any other piece and usually confuses beginners.
• The Knight moves to squares reached by going two squares vertically or horizontally, and one square to the left or right.
• The Knight will always land on the opposite color from where it is moving. If the Knight is on a white square, after moving the Knight will be on a black square.
• The Knight is the only piece that can jump over other pieces (either its own or the enemy's) in the course of its move.
• The Knight captures the same way it moves.

The Pawn

• Unlike the other pieces, moves one way and captures in another.
• The Pawn can only move forward; they can never retreat.
• The Pawn moves one square forward unless blocked by enemy piece or its own piece.
• However, when the Pawn is on its original square, it has the option to move one or two squares forward on its first move.
• The Pawn captures diagonally forward to the left or right. After the Pawn captures it then proceeds forward on the new row.

I will leave you here to get familiar with how the pieces move. Feel free to refer back to this post until you are confident in your ability to move all the pieces around the chessboard. In the next blog I will discuss a few special moves, the differences between a check and a checkmate, as well as algebraic notation. You are now closer to being able to play your first game of chess. Don't forget to find me on Chess.com by searching for dblackw2 (it is free to join so no excuses). I am always looking for new opponents and it will be a great way to test your knowledge of ideas as you start learning more chess knowledge. 

Checkmate,

David