Introduction
Chess is a popular board game that has been played for centuries. It is a two-player game involving strategic thinking, planning, and problem-solving. The goal of chess is to capture the opponent´s king while protecting your own. To start playing this game, first, you need to set up the board correctly. In this guide, we will go through the steps of how to set up a chess board to play the game correctly.
Materials Required
To set up a chess board, you will need a few materials:
- A chess board: The board should have 64 squares, in alternating light and dark colors.
- 32 chess pieces: Each player has a set of 16 pieces, including one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns.
- A flat surface: The chess board should be placed on a flat surface, like a table or a desk.
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these steps to set up a chess board correctly:
- Place the chess board on a flat surface, with a lighter square in the bottom right corner.
- Set up the back rows of each player´s pieces as follows:
- Place the rooks on the corners of the board (a1, h1 for white, a8, h8 for black).
- The bishops go next to the rooks (c1, f1 for white, c8, f8 for black).
- Place the knights next to the bishops (b1, g1 for white, b8, g8 for black).
- The queen goes on the remaining square of her color (d1 for white, d8 for black).
- And finally, the king goes on the last remaining square of his color (e1 for white, e8 for black).
- Complete the front row with eight pawns for each player. The pawns should be placed in front of the other pieces.
- Both players should now have their pieces set up on the board, facing each other.
- Make sure that the queen pieces are on their own color (white queen on a white square, black queen on a black square).
Special Rule: En Passant
There is one special rule in chess that may occur during the game, and it is called en passant. It happens when a player moves a pawn forward two squares on its first move, and it ends up in a position that is next to an opponent´s pawn. In this case, the opponent´s pawn can capture the player´s pawn as if it only moved one square. This rule only applies for one move after the player´s pawn has moved two squares, so make sure you pay attention to it during the game.
Conclusion
Setting up a chess board correctly is essential to play the game. It may seem simple, but it is crucial to ensure that all pieces are in the correct place to follow the rules. In this guide, we went through all the necessary steps to set up a chess board correctly, and we also learned about the special rule of en passant. Now that your board is set up correctly, you are ready to start playing the game of chess and enjoy the strategic challenges it has to offer.
