Chess

Setup

Chess is played on a square board of eight rows (called ranks and denoted with numbers 1 to 8) and eight columns (called files and denoted with letters a to h) of squares. The colors of the sixty-four squares alternate and are referred to as "light squares" and "dark squares". The chessboard is placed with a light square at the right hand end of the rank nearest to each player, and the pieces are set out as shown in the diagram, with each queen on its own color.

The pieces are divided, by convention, into white and black sets. The players are referred to as "White" and "Black", and each begins the game with sixteen pieces of the specified color. These consist of one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. White moves first. The players alternate moving one piece at a time (with the exception of castling, when two pieces are moved simultaneously). Pieces are moved to either an unoccupied square, or one occupied by an opponent's piece, capturing it and removing it from play. With one exception (en passant), all pieces capture opponent's pieces by moving to the square that the opponent's piece occupies.

When a king is under immediate attack by one or two of the opponent's pieces, it is said to be in check. The only permissible responses to a check are to capture the checking piece, interpose a piece between the checking piece and the king, or move the king to a square where it is not under attack. Castling is not a permissible response to a check. A move that would place the moving player's king in check is illegal. The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent; this occurs when the opponent's king is in check, and there is no way to remove it from attack.

Pieces

The Pawn

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/pawns/index.htm

The Pawn moves one or two squares forward on its first move, after that, it may only move one square forward.

Pawns move forward on the file.

Pawns may not move backwards.

Pawns capture only on the Diagonal.

When a pawn reaches the other side of the board, the 8th rank, it must be "promoted" to a Queen, or a Rook, or a Bishop, or a Knight.

It may not be promoted to a King.

Because a Pawn is promoted when it reaches the 8th rank, it is possible to have: 9 Queens, or 10 Rooks, or 10 Bishops, or 10 Knights.

It is very unlikely this will ever happen... but it is possible, and legal!

The Pawn

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/pawns/index.htm

The Pawn moves one or two squares forward on its first move, after that, it may only move one square forward.

Pawns move forward on the file.

Pawns may not move backwards.

Pawns capture only on the Diagonal.

When a pawn reaches the other side of the board, the 8th rank, it must be "promoted" to a Queen, or a Rook, or a Bishop, or a Knight.

It may not be promoted to a King.

Because a Pawn is promoted when it reaches the 8th rank, it is possible to have: 9 Queens, or 10 Rooks, or 10 Bishops, or 10 Knights.

It is very unlikely this will ever happen... but it is possible, and legal!

The Knight

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/knights/index.htm

The Knight Moves in a Straight Line

from a dark square to a light square

from a light square to a dark square

The Knight moves from a light square to a dark square.

It moves up and down and back and forth.

The Knight moves in a straight line.

The Knight is the only piece that moves between (or over) other pieces. The Knight "jumps" over other pieces.

The Knight

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/knights/index.htm

The Knight Moves in a Straight Line

from a dark square to a light square

from a light square to a dark square

The Knight moves from a light square to a dark square.

It moves up and down and back and forth.

The Knight moves in a straight line.

The Knight is the only piece that moves between (or over) other pieces. The Knight "jumps" over other pieces.

The Bishop

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/bishops/index.htm

The Dark Square Bishop moves on the Dark Square Diagonals.

The Light Square Bishop moves on the Light Square Diagonals.

Bishops move on the Diagonal.

The Bishop

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/bishops/index.htm

The Dark Square Bishop moves on the Dark Square Diagonals.

The Light Square Bishop moves on the Light Square Diagonals.

Bishops move on the Diagonal.

The Rook

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/rooks/index.htm

The Rook moves on Ranks and Files.

The Rook

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/rooks/index.htm

The Rook moves on Ranks and Files.

The King

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/kings/index.htm

Is the most important piece on the Board.

He can move only one square
in any direction.

He can move one square
on the Rank.

He can move one square
on the Diagonal.

He can move one square
on the File.

Always protect your King.

The King

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/kings/index.htm

Is the most important piece on the Board.

He can move only one square
in any direction.

He can move one square
on the Rank.

He can move one square
on the Diagonal.

He can move one square
on the File.

Always protect your King.

The Queen

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/queens/index.htm

The Queen is the most powerful piece on the board.

She can move up and down on Files,
back and forth on the Ranks,
criss-cross the board on the Diagonals.

The Queen

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/queens/index.htm

The Queen is the most powerful piece on the board.

She can move up and down on Files,
back and forth on the Ranks,
criss-cross the board on the Diagonals.

Special Moves

Castling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castling

Castling:

Quadrants show different ways of castling.

Once in every game, each king is allowed to make a special move, known as castling. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook, then placing the rook immediately on the far side of the king. Castling is only permissible if all of the following conditions hold:

* Neither of the pieces involved in the castling may have been previously moved during the game;
* There must be no pieces between the king and the rook;
* The king may not currently be in check, nor may the king pass through squares that are under attack by enemy pieces. As with any move, castling is illegal if it would place the king in check.
* The king and the rook must be on the same rank (to exclude castling with a promoted pawn, described later).

Castling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castling

Castling:

Quadrants show different ways of castling.

Once in every game, each king is allowed to make a special move, known as castling. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook, then placing the rook immediately on the far side of the king. Castling is only permissible if all of the following conditions hold:

* Neither of the pieces involved in the castling may have been previously moved during the game;
* There must be no pieces between the king and the rook;
* The king may not currently be in check, nor may the king pass through squares that are under attack by enemy pieces. As with any move, castling is illegal if it would place the king in check.
* The king and the rook must be on the same rank (to exclude castling with a promoted pawn, described later).

En Passant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En_passant

When a pawn advances two squares, if there is an opponent's pawn on an adjacent file next to its destination square, then the opponent's pawn can capture it and move to the square the pawn passed over, but only on the next move. For example, if the black pawn has just advanced two squares from f7 to f5, then either of the white pawns on e5 and g5 can take it via en passant on f6.

En Passant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En_passant

When a pawn advances two squares, if there is an opponent's pawn on an adjacent file next to its destination square, then the opponent's pawn can capture it and move to the square the pawn passed over, but only on the next move. For example, if the black pawn has just advanced two squares from f7 to f5, then either of the white pawns on e5 and g5 can take it via en passant on f6.

Promotion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promotion_(chess)

When a pawn advances to its eighth rank, it is exchanged for the player's choice of a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of the same color. Usually, the pawn is chosen to be promoted to a queen, but in some cases another piece is chosen, called underpromotion. In the diagram on the right, the pawn on c7 can choose to advance to the eighth rank to promote to a better piece.

Promotion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promotion_(chess)

When a pawn advances to its eighth rank, it is exchanged for the player's choice of a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of the same color. Usually, the pawn is chosen to be promoted to a queen, but in some cases another piece is chosen, called underpromotion. In the diagram on the right, the pawn on c7 can choose to advance to the eighth rank to promote to a better piece.

End Of The Game

Chess games do not have to end in checkmate â€” either player may resign if the situation looks hopeless. Games also may end in a draw (tie). A draw can occur in several situations, including draw by agreement, stalemate, threefold repetition of a position, the fifty move rule, or a draw by impossibility of checkmate (usually because of insufficient material to checkmate).

End Of The Game

Chess games do not have to end in checkmate â€” either player may resign if the situation looks hopeless. Games also may end in a draw (tie). A draw can occur in several situations, including draw by agreement, stalemate, threefold repetition of a position, the fifty move rule, or a draw by impossibility of checkmate (usually because of insufficient material to checkmate).

Time Control

Besides casual games without exact timing, chess is also played with a time control, mostly by club and professional players. If a player's time runs out before the game is completed, the game is automatically lost (provided his opponent has enough pieces left to deliver checkmate). The timing ranges from long games played up to seven hours to shorter rapid chess games lasting usually 30 minutes or one hour per game. Even shorter is blitz chess with a time control of three to fifteen minutes for each player and bullet chess (under three minutes).

Time Control

Besides casual games without exact timing, chess is also played with a time control, mostly by club and professional players. If a player's time runs out before the game is completed, the game is automatically lost (provided his opponent has enough pieces left to deliver checkmate). The timing ranges from long games played up to seven hours to shorter rapid chess games lasting usually 30 minutes or one hour per game. Even shorter is blitz chess with a time control of three to fifteen minutes for each player and bullet chess (under three minutes).

How To Play

How to Play Chess

http://www.chessdryad.com/education/magictheater/

Flash movies explaining how to play chess, set up the board, and how to move the pieces. ... How to Play Chess. For Beginners and Parents ...

Chess - By Category

http://chess.about.com/od/beginners/tp/ble10ndx.htm

... checkmate, castling and more - if you need to know how to play chess, start here. ... Internet has made it possible to play chess online with thousands of people ...

How to Play Chess | eHow.com

http://www.ehow.com/how_3996_play-chess.html

How to article - how to play chess. Thousands of years old and still enjoyed by millions around the world, chess offers players endless variety and challenges - so...

How to Play Chess: 10 steps (with pictures) - wikiHow

http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Chess

wikiHow article about How to Play Chess. ... Albeit, chess is still a very fun game to play. ... How to Play Against 2 Qh5 (in Chess) How to Fool Your Opponent ...

How to Play Chess

http://chess.about.com/od/rulesofchess/p/Howtoplaychess.htm

A complete guide on how to play chess, including the basic rules of chess. ... how the pieces move is a must before trying to play your first game of chess. ...

Videos

YouTube - Chess video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki3Xuw5p5TI

nice stuffshortly I will be brodcasting some chess lesson so stay tuned ... Videos. Channels. Community. Upload. advanced. Loading... Chess video ...

YouTube - Chess video

Click to Close Video Player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =Ki3Xuw5p5TI

nice stuffshortly I will be brodcasting some chess lesson so stay tuned ... Videos. Channels. Community. Upload. advanced. Loading... Chess video ...

Chess Videos TV - Now Over 500 Free Chess Videos!

http://www.chessvideos.tv/

... .TV offers hundreds of free chess videos made by beginners to international ... or comment about the videos in the short video contest open discussion thread. ...

Chess Video Gallery - Chess.com

http://www.chess.com/videos

Videos. Surveys. Vote Chess. Chess Quotes. Fun Articles. Chess ... Submit a new video. Most recent videos. Topalov defeat Kramnik sacrifacing his N and Q I ...

Chess Video Gallery - Chess.com

http://www.chess.com/videos?page=7

Chess 101--ruy lopez 2...video!(380 views) ... Submit a new video. Most recent videos. Topalov defeat Kramnik sacrifacing his N and Q I ...

Chess Videos DVDs Movies - Wholesale Chess

http://www.wholesalechess.com/store/chess_videos_dvds

... Chess has chess DVDs, movies, and videos for entertainment and chess instruction. Searching for Bobby Fischer, Pro Chess, ... Pro Chess Video Chess Mentor DVD ...

Reference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess

Chess or CHESS may refer to: ContentsGames Music Abbreviation Products and services Other See also Games Chess variants including: Chess, a board game sometimes called international chess Xiangqi

Web Sites

Play Chess Online for Free - Chess.com

http://www.chess.com/

Online chess community where you can play chess, learn strategies and tactics, read chess news, see book reviews, find rules & tips, get free downloads, and more!

The United States Chess Federation - Home Page

http://main.uschess.org/

Chess - MSN Games

http://zone.msn.com/en/chess

Free online chess game from MSN Games.

Internet Chess Club

http://www.chessclub.com/

Online chess community. Find grandmasters, lectures, tournaments, coverage of major events, and an active chat area.

chess.net

http://www.chess.net/

Place where users can download or play chess games online, interact with other players, and train with Grandmasters.

Books and Articles

Practical Chess Exercises: 600 Lessons from Tactics to Strategy

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Chess-Exercises-Lessons-Strategy/dp/1587368013%3FSubscriptionId%3D0NN0SR5A89TCS2NPXK02%26tag%3Dws%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1587368013

Raise your chess to the next level with this program of 600 instructive and challenging exercises covering all aspects of the game. This book will sharpen your tactical vision and deepen your skills.

Practical Chess Exercises: 600 Lessons from Tactics to Strategy

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Chess-Exercises-Lessons-Strategy/dp/1587368013%3FSubscriptionId%3D0NN0SR5A89TCS2NPXK02%26tag%3Dws%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1587368013

Raise your chess to the next level with this program of 600 instructive and challenging exercises covering all aspects of the game. This book will sharpen your tactical vision and deepen your skills.

Chess for Children

http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Children-Murray-Chandler/dp/1904600069%3FSubscriptionId%3D0NN0SR5A89TCS2NPXK02%26tag%3Dws%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1904600069

With this charming book, children will delight in learning the basic moves of chess - the most popular and challenging strategy game of all. All the rules of chess are clearly explained, step by step.

Chess for Children

http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Children-Murray-Chandler/dp/1904600069%3FSubscriptionId%3D0NN0SR5A89TCS2NPXK02%26tag%3Dws%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1904600069

With this charming book, children will delight in learning the basic moves of chess - the most popular and challenging strategy game of all. All the rules of chess are clearly explained, step by step.

How to Beat Your Dad at Chess (Gambit Chess)

http://www.amazon.com/How-Beat-Your-Chess-Gambit/dp/1901983056%3FSubscriptionId%3D0NN0SR5A89TCS2NPXK02%26tag%3Dws%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1901983056

This is not just a book for kids - for 'Dad' read any opponent who beats you regularly! This book teaches the 50 Deadly Checkmates - basic attacking patterns that occur repeatedly in games.

How to Beat Your Dad at Chess (Gambit Chess)

http://www.amazon.com/How-Beat-Your-Chess-Gambit/dp/1901983056%3FSubscriptionId%3D0NN0SR5A89TCS2NPXK02%26tag%3Dws%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1901983056

This is not just a book for kids - for 'Dad' read any opponent who beats you regularly! This book teaches the 50 Deadly Checkmates - basic attacking patterns that occur repeatedly in games.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, Third Edition

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Chess-Third/dp/1592573169%3FSubscriptionId%3D0NN0SR5A89TCS2NPXK02%26tag%3Dws%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1592573169

Don't make a move without it. Written by a U.S. Chess Champion, International Chess Grandmaster, and longtime instructor, this book includes information for both novice and expert.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, Third Edition

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Chess-Third/dp/1592573169%3FSubscriptionId%3D0NN0SR5A89TCS2NPXK02%26tag%3Dws%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1592573169

Don't make a move without it. Written by a U.S. Chess Champion, International Chess Grandmaster, and longtime instructor, this book includes information for both novice and expert.

Chess Tactics for Kids

http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Tactics-Kids-Murray-Chandler/dp/1901983994%3FSubscriptionId%3D0NN0SR5A89TCS2NPXK02%26tag%3Dws%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1901983994

Chess enthusiasts of all ages and levels will find this book an instructive delight. In a simple, easy-to-understand format it explains how to bamboozle your chess opponents using common moves and strategies.

Chess Tactics for Kids

http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Tactics-Kids-Murray-Chandler/dp/1901983994%3FSubscriptionId%3D0NN0SR5A89TCS2NPXK02%26tag%3Dws%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1901983994

Chess enthusiasts of all ages and levels will find this book an instructive delight. In a simple, easy-to-understand format it explains how to bamboozle your chess opponents using common moves and strategies.

Chess

Setup

Pieces

Special Moves

End Of The Game

End Of The Game

Time Control

How To Play

Videos

Reference

Web Sites

Books and Articles

Educational

User Contributions