It’s never too late to learn to play chess, the world’s most popular game! Chess rules are simple to learn:

Step 1. How To Set Up The Chessboard 

The chessboard is set up at the start of the game so that each player has the white (or light) color square in the bottom right-hand corner.

Each time, the chess pieces are arranged in the same way. The pawns are stacked in the second row (or rank). The rooks are placed in the corners, followed by the knights, bishops, and finally, the queen, who is always placed on her color (white queen on the white, black queen on black), and the king on the remaining square.

Step 2: Chess Pieces Movement

Each of the six types of pieces moves in a unique way. Pieces can’t move through other pieces (though the knight can jump over them), and they can’t move onto a square occupied by one of their own. They can, however, be moved to replace an opponent’s piece, which can then be captured. Pieces are generally moved into positions where they can capture other pieces (by landing on their square and then replacing them), defend their own pieces in the event of capture, or control important game squares.

In chess, how do you move the king?

The king is the most important piece, but it is also the most vulnerable. In any direction, the king can only move one square. The king will never be able to keep himself in check (where he could be captured). The term “check” refers to when the king is attacked by another piece  – up, down, to the sides, and diagonally.

In Chess, How To Move The Queen?

The most powerful piece is the queen. She can move in any one straight direction – forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally – as far as possible as long as she does not move through any of her own pieces.

And, as with all pieces, capturing an opponent’s piece ends the queen’s turn. Take note of how the white queen captures the black queen, forcing the black king to flee.

In Chess, How To Move The Rook

The rook can only move forward, backward, and to the sides. When the rooks work together and protect each other, they are extremely powerful pieces!

In Chess, How To Move The Bishop

The bishop is free to move as far as it wants, but only in diagonal directions. Each bishop begins on one color (light or dark) and must remain on that color at all times.

Bishops get along well because they can hide each other’s flaws.

In Chess, How To Move The Knight

Knights move in a unique way compared to the other pieces, moving two squares in one direction and then another at a 90-degree angle, forming an “L” shape.

Knights are the only pieces that have the ability to move over other pieces.

In Chess, How To Move The Pawn

Pawns are unique in that they move and capture in two separate ways: forward and diagonally. Pawns can only move forward one square at a time, with the exception of their first move, which allows them to advance two squares.

Pawns can only capture one square in front of them diagonally. They are unable to move or capture in reverse. A pawn cannot move past or capture another piece that is right in front of him.

Step 3: Learn About Chess’s Unique Rules

In chess, there are a few unique rules that may appear illogical at first. They were developed in order to make the game more enjoyable and fascinating.

In chess, how do you promote a pawn?

Pawns also have a particular ability: if they reach the other side of the board, they can transform into any other chess piece (called promotion), except a king (or pawn, for that matter).

A pawn can rise through the ranks to become a knight, bishop, rook, or queen. A widespread misunderstanding is that pawns can only be traded for captured pieces. This is not the case. Usually, a pawn is promoted to a queen. Only pawns are eligible for the promotion.

In Chess, How To Play “En Passant”

The final pawn rule is known as “en passant,” which means “in passing” in French. If a pawn goes out two squares on its first move and lands to the side of an opponent’s piece (thus hopping past the other pawn’s ability to capture it), the other pawn can capture the first pawn as it passes by.

This special move must be performed as soon as the first pawn has passed, or else the possibility to capture it would be lost. To further grasp this strange but important rule, look at the example below.

In Chess, How To Castle

Castling is a different type of chess rule. This move helps you to accomplish two essential goals in one move: getting your king to safety (hopefully) and getting your rook out of the corner and back into the game. On his turn, a player may move his king two squares to one side, then move his rook from that side’s corner to immediately next to the king on the opposing side. (Take a look at the example below.) To castle, however, the following requirements must be met:

• It must to be the king’s first move.
• There can’t be any pieces between the king and the rook to move, hence it has to be the rook’s first move.
• It’s possible that the king will not be in check or pass through check.

It’s worth noting that when you castle in one direction, the king is closer to the board’s edge. This is known as “kingside” casting. Castling “queenside” refers to casting to the other side, through where the queen sits. When castling, the king always moves just two squares, regardless of which side he is on.

Step 4: Determine who makes the first chess move.

The player with the white pieces is always the first to make a move. As a result, players usually choose who will be white by chance or luck, such as flipping a coin or having one player identify the colour of the hidden piece in the other’s hand. After that, white makes a move, followed by black, white again, black, and so on until the game is over. Being the first to move is a minor advantage that allows the white player to attack immediately away.

Step 5: Review The Chess Rules To See How To Win A Game

A chess game can be ended in a variety of ways: checkmate, draw, resignation, forfeit on time…

In Chess, How To Checkmate

The goal of the game is to checkmate the king of your opponent. This occurs when the king is placed under check and is unable to escape.

A king can only get out of check in three ways:

• move out of the way (despite the fact that he can’t castle!)
• With another piece, you can either block the check or capture the piece that is threatening the king.

The game is over if a king cannot escape checkmate. The king isn’t usually captured or removed from the board; instead, the game is just declared finished.

If one of the players does not act carefully, checkmate can occur early in the game. An example of the Fools mate, a checkmate that occurs in only two moves, is shown below.

What Is The Best Way To Draw A Chess Game?

Chess games may finish in a draw rather than a winner. A chess game may conclude in a draw for five reasons:

• When it is one player’s turn to move, but his king is not in check and he has no other lawful move, the position enters a stalemate:
• The participants might just agree to a draw and end the game.
• A checkmate cannot be forced because there are insufficient pieces on the board (example: a king and a bishop vs. a king)
• If the same identical position is replicated three times, a player declares a draw (though not necessarily three times in a row)
• There have been fifty moves in a row where neither player has moved a pawn or captured a piece.

Step 6: Learn the fundamentals of chess strategy.

Every chess player should be aware of four basic concepts:

Keep your king safe.

Get your king to the board’s corner, where he’ll be safer. Don’t put off casting for another day. Generally, you should castle as soon as possible. Remember that if your own king gets checkmated first, it doesn’t matter how near you are to checkmating your opponent!

Don’t Give Away Pieces

Don’t lose your pieces carelessly! Each piece is important, because you can’t win a game if you don’t have enough checkmate pieces. Most players utilise an easy approach to keep track of the relative value of each chess piece. What is the value of the chess pieces?

• A pawn is worth 1
• A knight is worth 3
• A bishop is worth 3
• A rook is worth 5
• A queen is worth 9
• The king is infinitely valuable

These points have no meaning at the end of the game; they are only a mechanism for making decisions while playing, such as when to capture, swap, or make other movements.

Control the Chessboard’s Center

With your pieces and pawns, strive to control the centre of the board. You will have more room to manoeuvre your pieces if you control the centre, and your opponent will have a tougher time finding favourable squares for his pieces if you control the centre. White makes good moves to control the centre in the example above, while black makes weak moves.

Make full use of all of your chess pieces.

White has all of his pieces in the game in the example above! When your pieces are seated in the first row, they are useless. Develop all of your pieces to give you additional options when attacking the king. Attacking with only one or two pieces will not work against a decent opponent.

Step 7: Put your skills to the test by playing a variety of games.

The most important thing you can do to improve your chess skills is to play a lot of it! Whether you play with friends or family at home or online, you must play the game frequently to develop. Nowadays, it’s simple to discover a chess game on the internet!

Chess Variants: How To Play

While most individuals play chess according to traditional rules, some people choose to play chess with modifications. These are referred to as “chess variants.” Each version has its own set of guidelines:

• Chess960 (Fischer Random): In Chess960 (Fischer Random), the pieces’ initial positions are chosen at random. The pawns remain in their original positions, but the rest of the pieces are shuffled around.
• The goal of King Of The Hill is to get your king to the centre of the board, sometimes known as the “peak of the hill.”
• Bughouse: This is a two-player game. When a player captures an opponent’s piece, that piece becomes available to his or her partner. For example, if I am White and my Black teammate captures a white knight from her opponent, I will have a knight to place on any free square on my board during my turn. In any of my future turns, I will be able to do so.
• Crazyhouse: This is a fun format to play since you can use the pieces you steal from your opponent. For example, if I play White and capture a black piece from my opponent, that pawn will transform into a white pawn that I can use as part of my army on the board. In any of my future turns, I will be able to do so.
• 3-Check: The first player to check the opponent’s king three times wins in this format.

In chess, what is the best first move?

While there is no universally accepted ideal move in chess, it is critical to aim to control the center as soon as possible. Most players will next move one of their central pawns (in front of the king or queen) ahead of two squares with 1. d4 or 1. e4. Others favor 1. c4 or 1. Nf3 as a starting position. The majority of the other movements aren’t quite as effective. Bobby Fischer thought it was better to move the king’s pawn to 1. e4.

In chess, which color goes first?

The player with the white pieces is always the first to make a move.

Is It Possible For A Pawn To Move Backwards?

Pawns are unable to move backward. When a pawn reaches the other side of the board, however, it must be promoted to another piece (such as a queen). Then it behaves similarly to that piece, including the ability to go backward.

In chess, can you move more than one piece at a time?

When it’s your turn to move, you can only move one chess piece at a time – with one exception! You move both the king and the rook in one move when you castle.

Which Chess Piece Is The Most Important?

The most crucial chess piece is the king. You lose the game if you lose the king. The queen, on the other hand, is the most powerful chess piece.

When was the game of chess invented?

The origins of chess are unknown, but most experts believe it originated from earlier chess-like games played around two thousand years ago in India. Chess as we know it now dates back to the 15th century when it first gained popularity across Europe.