History_of_Chess
The origins of chess are not exactly clear, though most believe it evolved from earlier chess-like games played in India almost two thousand years ago.The game of chess we know today has been around since the 15th century where it became popular in Europe.
The_Goal_of_Chess
Chess is a game played between two opponents on opposite sides of a board containing 64 squares of alternating colors. Each player has 16 pieces: 1 king, 1 queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights, and 8 pawns. The goal of the game is to checkmate the other king. Checkmate happens when the king is in a position to be captured (in check) and cannot escape from capture.
Starting_a_Game
At the beginning of the game the chessboard is laid out so that each player has the white (or light) color square in the bottom right-hand side. The chess pieces are then arranged the same way each time. The second row (or rank) is filled with pawns. The rooks go in the corners, then the knights next to them, followed by the bishops, and finally the queen, who always goes on her own matching color (white queen on white, black queen on black), and the king on the remaining square.
The player with the white pieces always moves first. Therefore, players generally decide who will get to be white by chance or luck such as flipping a coin or having one player guess the color of the hidden pawn in the other player's hand. White then makes a move, followed by black, then white again, then black and so on until the end of the game.
How_the_Pieces_Move
Each of the 6 different kinds of pieces moves differently. Pieces cannot move through other pieces (though the knight can jump over other pieces), and can never move onto a square with one of their own pieces. However, they can be moved to take the place of an opponent's piece which is then 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 case of capture, or control important squares in the game.
The_King
The king is the most important piece, but is one of the weakest.
The king can only move one square in any direction - up, down, to the
sides, and diagonally. Click on the '
>' button in the
diagram below to see how the king can move around the board. The king
may never move himself into check (where he could be captured).
The_Queen
The queen is the most powerful piece. 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, like with all pieces, if the queen captures an opponent's piece
her move is over. Click through the diagram below to see how the queens
move. Notice how the white queen captures the black queen and then the
black king is forced to move.
The_Rook
The rook may move as far as it wants, but only forward, backward,
and to the sides. The rooks are particularly powerful pieces when they
are protecting each other and working together!
