Learn Chess Setup and Rules Online

Posted by IchessU on December 7th, 2015

One of the first rules of chess that you should remember is that there is a right and wrong way to set-up the board and its pieces. This is a fundamental principle that you should take to heart. The board itself has a proper configuration towards the players. Albeit square, with 8x8 smaller, light and dark colored checks, there is a right way to face the board that is, the light colored square must always go in either player's right hand corner. A popular phrase you will often hear in beginner chess clubs is "white on right," referring to how the board should be set up so that the square closest to a player's right is white.

Now that you know how to face a chess board properly, you are ready to start putting the pieces on their proper squares. There is a total of 16 different pieces in each player's hand at the beginning of each game, each with a corresponding place on the chess board during initial setup. Horizontal rows are called ranks while vertical rows are referred to as files. Either player has to arrange eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, one queen, and one king on their side of the board.

Pawn placements are the easiest to remember as they occupy the 2nd and 7th ranks (the second row in front of each player). With the pawns in place, other pieces are arranged as follows:

Rooks should be placed on the right and left edge (outside corners) of the board. Knights follow immediately beside each rook, and then the bishops, immediately beside the knights, going towards the center of the board. The queen should be placed on the central square of its color, meaning white on white and black on black. The king then takes the vacant spot right next to the queen. Another phrase worth remembering to make sure you never get a chess setup wrong is "queen on her own color."

The player with the white pieces moves first, and both players’ alternate moves thereafter. It is illegal to skip a move or a turn even when your next move is detrimental to your play. The game continues until one king gets checkmated, a draw is declared, or when a player resigns. Some chess games are time controlled, in which case, players who exceed their allotted time loses the game.

About the Author:

Albert Fishman has been involved in teaching chess since 1996 and is part of the IchessU coaching staff. IchessU is one of the best online chess coaching in USA. They have experienced coaches to teach the moves of chess. Their experienced faculties are dedicated to offer the best coaching for beginners.

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IchessU
Joined: September 8th, 2012
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