Rules of Chess
Chess is a board game that is played on a checkered board encompassing 64 squares that are arranged in eight rows. A chess game is played between two players, one representing the black team and one representing the white team. The rules of a chess game may initially be confusing and hard to remember, but with some practice you will become a chess playing pro in no time.
In a chess game there are six different types of pieces. These pieces are known as the pawn, the rook, the bishop, the knight, the queen, and the king. The general objective of a chess game is to capture the other player’s king or to put his king in check mate, meaning that the opposing player can not move his king into an open square without putting him in check. If you call ‘check’ in a chess game it means that the opponent’s king can be taken by one of your pieces. In a chess game the king can only move one space in any direction. The queen however can move as many spaces the player wishes to move it and in any direction. This makes the queen the most powerful piece on the board. The knight, or the piece that looks like the horse, can only be moved in the shape of an L. The bishop can move in a diagonal as many spaces as you want and the rook, or the castle, can only move forward, backwards, or side to side as many spaces as you want. The pawn can only move forward one space, except for the first time it is moved in a chess game. For the pawn’s first move you can choose to move it forward two spaces. There are many books dedicated to teaching new players about the rules of chess and such books can be found at most bookstores.
Chess games have been played for hundreds of years by all types of people from varying backgrounds and professions. Chess games as we know them today originated in southern Europe. specifically Spain and Italy, around the year 1475. Chess games are one of the oldest and most popular games in the world. They provide players with a source of competition, fun, and sport.
You can play chess games anywhere including after school chess clubs, at a coffee house with a friend, at home with a family member, and even online against the computer or another individual.
Chessgames.com is a website that contains a database of over 543,000 historical chess games. This site also contains online forums where people are able to discuss and ask questions regarding chess. This online community encourages players to learn and allows them to receive advice from more advanced players than themselves. Many high schools have after school chess clubs that will help you to learn the rules of chess and allow you to practice the game against other opponents who are on a similar level as yourself. Don’t be overwhelmed or scared of chess. It may seem difficult, but once you get the rules down chess games are fun and satisfying!
