Chess is played on a board of 64 squares arranged in eight vertical rows called files and eight horizontal rows 🫦 called ranks.
These squares alternate between two colours: one light, such as white, beige, or yellow; and the other dark, such 🫦 as black or green.
The board is set between the two opponents so that each player has a light-coloured square at 🫦 the right-hand corner.
Individual moves and entire games can be recorded using one of several forms of notation.
By far the most 🫦 widely used form, algebraic (or coordinate) notation, identifies each square from the point of view of the player with the 🫦 light-coloured pieces, called White.
The eight ranks are numbered 1 through 8 beginning with the rank closest to White.
The files are 🫦 labeled a through h beginning with the file at White's left hand.
Each square has a name consisting of its letter 🫦 and number, such as b3 or g8.
Additionally, files a through d are referred to as the queenside, and files e 🫦 through h as the kingside.See Figure 1.
Moves
The board represents a battlefield in which two armies fight to capture each other's 🫦 king.
A player's army consists of 16 pieces that begin play on the two ranks closest to that player.
There are six 🫦 different types of pieces: king, rook, bishop, queen, knight, and pawn; the pieces are distinguished by appearance and by how 🫦 they move.
The players alternate moves, White going first.
King White's king begins the game on e1.
Black's king is opposite at e8.
Each 🫦 king can move one square in any direction; e.g.
, White's king can move from e1 to d1, d2, e2, f2, 🫦 or f1.
Rook Each player has two rooks (formerly also known as castles), which begin the game on the corner squares 🫦 a1 and h1 for White, a8 and h8 for Black.
A rook can move vertically or horizontally to any unobstructed square 🫦 along the file or rank on which it is placed.
Bishop Each player has two bishops, and they begin the game 🫦 at c1 and f1 for White, c8 and f8 for Black.
A bishop can move to any unobstructed square on the 🫦 diagonal on which it is placed.
Therefore, each player has one bishop that travels only on light-coloured squares and one bishop 🫦 that travels only on dark-coloured squares.
Queen Each player has one queen, which combines the powers of the rook and bishop 🫦 and is thus the most mobile and powerful piece.
The White queen begins at d1, the Black queen at d8.
Knight Each 🫦 player has two knights, and they begin the game on the squares between their rooks and bishops-i.e.
, at b1 and 🫦 g1 for White and b8 and g8 for Black.
The knight has the trickiest move, an L-shape of two steps: first 🫦 one square like a rook, then one square like a bishop, but always in a direction away from the starting 🫦 square.
A knight at e4 could move to f2, g3, g5, f6, d6, c5, c3, or d2.
The knight has the unique 🫦 ability to jump over any other piece to reach its destination.
It always moves to a square of a different colour.
Capturing 🫦 The king, rook, bishop, queen, and knight capture enemy pieces in the same manner that they move.
For example, a White 🫦 queen on d3 can capture a Black rook at h7 by moving to h7 and removing the enemy piece from 🫦 the board.
Pieces can capture only enemy pieces.
Pawns Each player has eight pawns, which begin the game on the second rank 🫦 closest to each player; i.e.
, White's pawns start at a2, b2, c2, and so on, while Black's pawns start at 🫦 a7, b7, c7, and so on.
The pawns are unique in several ways.
A pawn can move only forward; it can never 🫦 retreat.
It moves differently than it captures.
A pawn moves to the square directly ahead of it but captures on the squares 🫦 diagonally in front of it; e.g.
, a White pawn at f5 can move to f6 but can capture only on 🫦 g6 or e6.
An unmoved pawn has the option of moving one or two squares forward.
This is the reason for another 🫦 peculiar option, called en passant-that is, in passing-available to a pawn when an enemy pawn on an adjoining file advances 🫦 two squares on its initial move and could have been captured had it moved only one square.
The first pawn can 🫦 take the advancing pawn en passant, as if it had advanced only one square.
An en passant capture must be made 🫦 then or not at all.
Only pawns can be captured en passant.
The last unique feature of the pawn occurs if it 🫦 reaches the end of a file; it must then be promoted to-that is, exchanged for-a queen, rook, bishop, or knight.
