Chess
The chess origins are not much clear, but it is believed that the game evolved from similar chess like board games nearly 2000 years ago in India. The game now played as chess is popular since the 15th century, particularly in Europe.
Positions and Pieces
The game comprises of 32 pieces from which 16 pieces belong to each player. These are a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns. The target is to checkmate the king of opponent. To start with the chess game you need to set up the chess board first. Each army is placed facing each other opposite each other. The smaller pieces are placed last, the pawns in 2nd row, larger pieces in 1st row. The king and queen are in the center with bishops, knights, and rooks all around. The rooks take the corners and the knights go next to them, then bishops, and then the queen takes the matching colored square, and lastly the king takes the remaining box.
Moves of Chess Pieces
The game starts with a toss of coin for selecting who will have white army and who will have black army. This can be done through hiding a pawn in one player’s hand and other can guess the color. The white army takes the first move. All 6 pieces have different moves. Among the basic rules of chess includes that no piece can move over other piece (apart from knights that may jump over other pieces), and don’t move on the boxes containing their own army pieces. However, the opponent’s blocks can be captured by landing their and replacing them.
• The King – The weakest and the most important piece. It can just move one box in any direction. While playing, one should not move this piece because he may get captured.
• The Queen – The strongest piece and it can also move in any direction. If queen steps on any opponent’s piece, her move is over.
• The Rook – It is allowed to move as far as required, but just in backward, forward, and sideways directions. It is powerful particularly when protecting other pieces of its own army.
• The Bishop – It also moves as far as needed but just diagonally and must follow the same colored boxes from which it started.
• The Knight – It moves two boxes in same direction and one at 90 degrees angle. Just this piece can move over other pieces.
• The Pawn – It moves in forward direction but captures diagonally. It moves by one box at a time, except the first time when it can move two steps forward. If there is some other piece in front of a pawn, it cannot capture or move past it.
When a pawn reaches opponents side, it is promoted to the level of queen. When a pawn moves two boxes and is to the opponent’s pawn’s side, the other pawn has to capture it, otherwise the capture becomes invalid.
Even though, the chess game is complex, once you learn it, it is very addictive and fun. Alertness is one key technique in winning the game at ease.