Chess

what is chess

Chess is a board game played between two players. It is played on a square board divided into 64 squares of alternating colors. Each player starts the game with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. The goal of the game is to checkmate the other player’s king. This occurs when the king is in a position to be captured (in “check”), and there is no way to move the king out of capture (mate). Players move their pieces to try and position them to capture the opponent’s pieces, while also protecting their own pieces. The player with the white pieces moves first, and then players alternate turns. The game can also end in a draw if neither player is able to achieve checkmate.

The King is the most important piece in the game. It can move one square in any direction. The king is also involved in the special move called “castle,” which allows it to move two squares towards a rook on its first rank, then placing the rook on the opposite side of the king. The objective of the game is to checkmate the opponent’s king, which means the king is in a position to be captured (in “check”) and there is no way to move the king out of capture (mate).

1. The Queen is the most powerful piece. It can move in any direction along a rank, file, or diagonal.

1. The Rooks are the next most powerful pieces. They can move any number of squares along a rank or file.

1. The Bishops are less powerful than the rooks. They can move any number of squares diagonally. Each player starts the game with two bishops, one on a white square and the other on a black square.

1. The Knights are the only pieces that can “jump” over other pieces. They move in an “L” shape, two squares along a rank or file and then one square perpendicular.

1. The Pawns are the weakest pieces in the game. They can only move forward, and capture diagonally. They have the special ability to move two squares on their first move, and can also be promoted to any piece when they reach the eighth rank.