

You can also remember this as the “white on right” rule of thumb where each white square will need to be to the right of the black or darker colored square. Your chess board will have to be positioned with the white or light-colored square in the board’s bottom right-hand corner. The pieces can be set up correctly, but it completely negates the purpose if the board is improperly positioned. The first step to proper chessboard setup is in the placement of the board. The Quick and Easy Guide to Properly Setting Up Your Chess Board Step 1: Board Placement
Chess board layout how to#
Kings can only move in one-space increments at a time, making them easy to overcome if backed into a corner.Įach chess piece will have to be properly set up on your chess board, and each piece can only move in the direction it is allowed but first, you need to know how to properly set up your chess board. Once the King is overtaken, the match is over.

The King is the determining factor for winning or losing. Once the queen is captured, it can be hard to play an offensive game, especially if you have very few pieces left.

The only direction that the queen cannot move is in the L-shaped direction that the knight can move. It can move diagonally, vertically, and horizontally. The queen is often considered the most important piece because it can move virtually in every direction. Bishops can only move diagonally on a board. Bishopsīishops are slightly taller than knights and have a top that looks similar to the bishop’s hat. This is easy to remember by counting two vertical or horizontal spaces out from the knight and then counting one space left or right to make your move. Knights can only move in L-shaped patterns. Knights are easy to remember because they look like a horse. Rooks can only move in horizontal or vertical lines. Rooks are shaped like a cylindrical castle tower. Pawns can only move one space forward unless it is the first move of the game or overtake an opponent’s piece. Pawns are the smallest of all the chess pieces, and they are also the most abundant. They are usually white and black, but some special edition chess boards can have other variations of colors.Įach color will have the following number and types of chess piece: There will be two different colors of chess pieces. The chess board includes the board and the pieces that will be placed onto the board. The Chess Piecesīefore we get started, it’s important for you to understand your chess board’s different components. Incorrectly setting up your chess board means that one or all of the pieces will begin in the wrong position, ultimately causing you to move them to another likely incorrect position.Įven worse, incorrectly setting up your chess board can give your opponent the advantage over you, sequentially causing you to have a major disadvantage and even lose.Īfter today, you will always know the proper chess board setup to learn the best moves to master the game of chess. The worst thing you can do is set up a chess board incorrectly. Each chess piece will need to begin in its respective position so that you learn to play the game correctly. Pawns can only capture a piece by moving one square forward diagonally.Setting your chess board up properly is the key to learning how to play chess. A pawn cannot capture a piece directly in front of it. A pawn can only move directly forward one square at a time unless it is still on the square on which it began the game if it is the pawn's first move, it can move one or two squares directly forward. Unlike other pieces, pawns can only move forward, not backward. Pawns are also the only pieces that move one way, but capture in another fashion. Pawns are the shortest and weakest pieces in chess.Though the knight can leap over other pieces, it doesn't capture pieces it jumps over it only captures a piece on a square it lands on. From the center of the board, the knight can move to eight different squares. The knight, which usually looks like a horse, moves in an irregular, L-shaped pattern.The king can also move in any direction, including diagonally, but it can only move one square at a time.The queen, the most powerful piece in chess, can move any number of squares in a straight line horizontally, vertically or diagonally.The bishop moves in a straight line diagonally for any number of squares.It moves in a straight line horizontally or vertically for any number of squares. The rook usually looks like a small tower.Illustration: The Spruce / Catherine Song
