Chess is a prominent strategy-based board game that is played between two individuals. Since it used to be played by kings and emperors, it is also called the “Game of Kings.”
Although playing the game using physical game boards and chess pieces offers a realistic feel, online chess is more popular due to easy accessibility, locational independence, etc. Players need two things to play chess online an online chess game on their smartphone and a stable Internet connection.
Unlike other board games like ludo, which feature simple features and gameplay, chess is comparatively more complex due to its gameplay and features. Therefore, beginners need to know all about it before getting started.
This article will shed light on how to play chess by covering all of the game’s important aspects. Let us begin:
Primary Objective
The main objective of every player in chess matches is to force the opponent’s primary piece, i.e., the king, into a position called checkmate. Checkmate refers to the position where the king cannot avoid or prevent being captured by the opponent’s chess piece.
Chess Pieces and Their Movements
Once a beginner becomes familiar with the objective, they should become well versed with chess pieces and their respective movements. Here is a detailed look at all pieces present on a chessboard and how they move:
- King – Although it is the most important piece present on a chessboard, it is also deemed the weakest, mainly because it cannot move freely. The king can only move a single square in a specific direction.
- Queen – The queen is the opposite of the king when it comes to power. This piece is considered the strongest piece on the chessboard since it has the power to move freely in any specific direction. This piece can conveniently move forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally. However, it does not have the power to move or pass through any of the player’s other pieces.
- Rook – The rook is an important piece on the chessboard that can move anywhere they want. Every player has two rooks in chess matches, each of which they can use to their advantage, However, a rook can only move forward, backward, and sideward.
- Bishop – Like the rook, every player has two bishops in chess matches, each of which can only move diagonally on the board. It starts on a specific colored block and remains on the same colored blocks throughout the game.
- Knight – Every player has two knights, each of which moves very differently when compared to the other pieces on the board. Every knight can move only two squares in a specific direction, followed by one square at a right angle. Simply put, they move in the shape of the alphabet “L.”
- Pawn – Each player begins a chess match with eight chess pieces. They form the first line of defense since they occupy the entirety of the second on each side. In terms of movement, pawns can only move in the forward direction one square at a time. However, they can only capture opponents’ chess pieces diagonally.
How to Set Up the Chessboard
In the case of online chess games, the chessboard is already set up when the match begins. However, in the case of offline chess matches, players need to set up the chessboard manually, i.e., by placing the chess pieces in their respective positions.
The chess pieces on a chessboard are placed in a specific manner. The board is set in such a way that both the light and dark-colored square falls on the players’ bottom right-hand side.
The second row on each side houses pawns, whereas the first row is home to all other pieces. The corners of the chessboard are occupied by rooks. Beside the rooks, the knights are placed. Finally, the queen and king pieces are placed at the center in the remaining blocks.
Starting the Game
The game starts when a player moves their first chess piece. In every chess match, the player assigned the white chess pieces starts the game. The assignment of chess pieces to players is generally decided by flipping a coin.
Once the player assigned the white pieces makes their first move, the turn passes to the player with the black pieces. This process of making moves continues until one player “checkmates” the other. Players who are assigned the white-colored pieces have a slight advantage over their opponent since the former get an early head start in the game.
Different Ways of Ending Matches
Here are three primary ways of ending matches:
- By Checkmate – When a player’s chess piece puts the opponent’s king in the checkmate position from which they are unable to escape, the match ends with the player coming out as the winner.
- By Draw – Although chess matches seldom end in a draw, there are numerous reasons why it happens. For instance, if very few chess pieces are left on the board, the game ends in a draw. Besides this, a match can end in a draw if the player declares so when the exact position is repeated thrice.
- By Quitting or Forfeiting – Due to appropriate or suitable reasons, players can mutually decide to end a chess match by forfeiting the game. In such cases, neither of the players gets any points.
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This article covers all the necessary points beginners need to know about chess. Hence, any interested individual who wishes to start indulging in chess should keep the aforementioned points in mind for a good start in their chess journey.
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