How to Play Chess (Setting Up the Board)

Part 1 in a series of stand-alone articles. Chess is an exciting game that is enjoyed by people all over the world. It is an especially good way to get kids to think analytically, teach them how to obey rules, and practice good sportsmanship. In this article you will learn the steps to identifying the pieces, and setting up the board.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A chess set (board and pieces)

1. First, look at the chessboard in the picture above. One of the most common mistakes that beginners make is having the board rotated 90° from what it should be. Notice how the square in the lower right hand corner is light. This is also true for the player who is playing black, relative to where s/he is sitting. You can use the phrase "light on right" to help you remember that the board should be oriented in this fashion.

2. The picture shows the proper starting setup, but it doesn't mean anything until we learn how to identify each of the pieces. There are only 6 different pieces to learn, but some pieces appear multiple times for each color. Notice how black's pieces are set up as a mirror image of white's pieces.

3. 
    
   The Rook

   Let's start with the rook, shown at left. It is sometimes called the castle. Each player has two of them. They go in the closest row to you, on the far ends.

4. 
    
   The Knight

   This is a knight. Resist the temptation to call it a horsie, and to make whinnying sounds when you move it. Each player has two of them. They go along the row closest to you, inside of the rooks.

5. 
    
   The Bishop

   This is a bishop. Each player has two. They go on the row closest to you, inside of the knights.

6. Note that among the rooks, knights, and bishops, each player has one that starts on a dark square, and one that starts on a light square. This will be significant in later lessons.

7. 
    
   The Queen

   This is the queen. She is the most powerful piece on the board. She typically is a tall piece with a pointy crown. Of the two remaining squares that are left on the closest row, the queen goes on the square that matches her color. The white queen goes on a light square, and the black queen goes on a dark square, directly opposite the white queen. You can use the phrase "queen on color" to help you remember this.

8. 
    
   The King

   There is one space left in the back row, and that gets the king, who is your responsibility to protect. It is typically the tallest piece, and has a cross on the top.

9. 
    
   The Pawn

   In front of the back rows, each player sets up a row of 8 pawns, as shown. These are often considered to be weak pieces, but they play an enormously important role in chess. They also have the chance of being promoted to a more powerful piece, which you will learn about later.

10. 
     
    The Starting Position

    Memorize the starting board position, and practice setting it up. Practice from the prospective of both the white and the black player. In the next article in the series, you will learn how the pieces move.

Resources

• View Author's Profile
• Other Articles by This Author

[georgelarson]

on 12/23/2008 Very thorough and well written article about chess. Thanks.