How to Set Up Chess

A chessboard consists of 64 squares, placed in eight rows of eight. The horizontal rows are called ranks, and the vertical rows are called columns. The squares themselves alternate between two colors--usually white and either black or red--and are referred to as "light squares" and "dark squares." Each player has 16 pieces--eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, one queen and one king--which must be set up along the two rows closest to him. Chess is a game of pure strategy--each player must start out in the exact same position as his opponent to ensure parity--which makes a proper setup vital.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Place the eight pawns horizontally along the rank second closest to you, one to a square. Your opponent should do the same.

2. Place one of your rooks on the first square from the left in the rank closest to you and the other rook on the eighth square from the left in the rank closest to you. Have your opponent do the same with his rooks.

3. Place one of your knights on the second square from the left in the rank closest to you and the other knight on the seventh square from the left in the rank closest to you. Have your opponent do the same with his knights.

4. Place one of your bishops on the third square from the left in the rank closest to you and the other bishop on the sixth square from the left in the rank closest to you. Have your opponent do the same with his bishops.

5. Place your queen on either the fourth square from the left in the rank closest to you or the fifth square from the left in the rank closest to you. Have your opponent do the same with his queen. The precise square depends on the color of the queen; the square should match the queen's color for both players.

6. Place your king on the last empty square in the rank closest to you and have your opponent do the same. The color of the king's starting square should be the opposite of his own (either light or dark). The starting positions on the chessboard should now be complete. (The light side makes the first move.)

Tips & Warnings

• The toughest thing to remember about a chess setup is whether the king is placed on the fourth or the fifth square from the left. It can be easy to confuse the positions of the king and the queen, because they differ depending on what side of the board you're on. The king's color is always the opposite of the square he starts on--the fifth square for the light-colored side and the fourth square for the dark-colored side.