Know All the Rules and Instructions of Chess

Posted by IchessU on May 6th, 2016

Mastering chess requires multiple lessons and gameplays. Experts say it takes years of study and practice to understand the nuances of this complex game. This learning can be quite difficult without expert guidance and may take a player months, if not years, to master a few moves that they can easily learn in days under expert teachers.

There are innumerable gameplays in chess – some so obscure that even grandmasters may not know them properly. However, most of these plays stem from an astute interpretation of some of the basic rules of chess. These rules may relate to movement of the pieces or how the game has to be played. Let’s look at a few of the common rules in the game:

Movement of the pieces

• The Pawns moves forward one square at a time. Its first move can be two squares forward movement. The pawn can only capture pieces that are diagonally in front of it. The pawn can be promoted to any piece if it reaches the last (8th) row

• The Bishops move diagonally and can capture any piece in the diagonal white or black areas where it can move. It can move to any square that is in the same diagonal line with the square where it is currently

• The Knights move in an ‘L pattern’ for three squares. These can be one square (or two) sideways and two squares (or one) vertical

• The Rooks can move in a straight line in a horizontal or vertical movement for any number of squares

• The Queen can move diagonally (like the bishops) or in straight lines (like the rooks) for any number of places. During the setup, the White Queen is placed on a white square and the Black Queen on a black square directly opposite each other

• The King can only move one space at a time whether diagonally or vertically

Common rules of the game

These rules are generally followed in competitions and help regulate the players and the movement of the pieces. Some common rules are:

• Do not touch a piece if you do not intend to move it

• Do not touch an opponent’s piece unless you want to capture it

• Do not touch a piece if it is not your move

• When castling, touch the king first and then the rook

• Make your move within the allotted time and punch the clock so the opponent can make his move. Not making the move within the allotted time will result in forfeiture of the game

These were just some of the very basic rules while playing the game. As mentioned earlier, there are various other rules that a player must be acquainted with if they wish to play the game like an expert. Learning from expert teachers will help the student gain valuable insights into these rules and easily develop the expertise to become an exceptional player.

About the Author:

Albert Fishman has been involved in teaching chess since 1996 and is part of the IchessU coaching staff. IchessU is the best online chess school and their coaches are titled masters and grandmasters. Their students enjoy private or group chess lessons in our online chess club.