Chess is one of the oldest and most popular games still played. It's incredibly fun and challenging and can teach you transferrable skills.
Today, we'll examine a brief history of chess and all the basic rules you need to know to start playing.
A Brief History of Chess
Chess is based on a game called "Chaturanga" that originated in India in the 6th century. It was played on an 8x8 grid and included pieces representing an army.
These pieces included infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots, which evolved into the pieces we have in our modern chess.
Chaturagan spread to Persia. There, the game was known as "Shatranj". There were new rules in this game, and the words "check" and "checkmate" actually come from the Persian words "shah" (king) and "shah mat" (the king is helpless).
The expansion of the Islamic Empire brought the game of Shatranj into North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) through the Moors.
Shatranj made its way across Europe through trade and military conquest, becoming particularly popular in Spain and Italy.
Shatranj evolved into chess during the 'Romantic Era of Chess' in the 15th and 16th centuries. This period saw the standardisation of rules in Italy and Spain, and the introduction of strategic changes like increased mobility for pieces like the queen and bishop.
Today, chess is a global phenomenon, played and loved by people from all corners of the world. The late 19th century saw the rise of chess championships and the establishment of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), ensuring the game's enduring popularity.
During the Cold War, Soviet players dominated international chess. However, the American Bobby Fischer's victories and his rivalry with Soviet players, particularly Boris Spassky, not only marked a shift in the game's power dynamics but also increased the popularity of chess on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
Chess provided a fascinating challenge to early computers. It made the news when IBM's Deep Blue computer defeated Garry Kasparov.
Thanks to online platforms like Chess.com, people worldwide can play chess with players of the same level in real-time.
Of course, if you'd like to play, you must learn how to play. Playing the game well only comes after years of study and practice.
The Rules of Chess
The official rules of chess are outlined by FIDE.
While the rules of chess have remained largely unchanged for years, FIDE continues to update and refine them for tournament play. These updates cover everything from punishments for illegal moves to the standards for equipment used in tournament play, ensuring the game's integrity and fairness.
Luckily, you don't need to worry about these rules yet, but if you get good enough, maybe one day they will apply to you.
Setting Up the Board in Chess
Setting up a chess board is a simple and straightforward process. The board is always set up in the same way, ensuring a consistent and familiar start to every game.
You also need to ensure that the board is positioned so that the white square is at the bottom right for both players, remembering that players in chess sit opposite one another and that there are only two players.
The rows (horizontal lines) and columns (vertical lines) are called ranks and files in chess. With that in mind, the bottom left square is the first rank and first file.
- We'll start with the second rank, which is the row above the first from your perspective. Place all your pawns on this. These are the smallest pieces. Only the first two ranks are used to start a chess game; the second rank belongs to the pawns.
- Place the rooks in both corners (on the first rank and on the first and last files). These are the pieces that look like a castle tower. Just as the towers are on the corner of a castle, the rooks go on the corners of the board.
- Next, place your knights next to the rooks. The knights are the pieces that look like horses. Place them on the second and seventh files.
- The following two pieces are to be placed: the bishops. The bishop is the piece with a diagonal slit cut into the head. The third and sixth files are for the bishops.
- Placement of the queen depends on the side of the board and the colour of your army. Chess has black and white pieces, so the black queen goes on the remaining darker square while the white queen goes on the lighter square.
- The king for each army goes in the remaining square of each side. This way, the two opposing armies will have their pieces opposite the corresponding ones.
How Pieces Move in Chess
The hardest part of getting started with chess is remembering how each chess piece moves.
How to Move Pawns
Despite their limited movement, pawns have a few rules for moving.
Pawns can move forward in one or two squares from their starting position.
From any other position, pawns can move forward from one square into an unoccupied square.
Pawns can only capture diagonally and forward, but not directly forward.
A pawn cannot move forward into an occupied square to capture.
How to Move Knights
Knights move two squares in one direction and one square perpendicular to this direction.
When they do this, they only capture pieces on the square they land on, effectively jumping over any pieces on their journey. They are the only pieces that can do this.
This movement will basically look like an “L” shape.
Note: They can also move right relevative to their first movement, too. Effectively mirroring the movement pictured.
How to Move Bishops
Bishops in chess move diagonally as far as they like (up to the edge of the board or up to a captured piece).
Because of this, they will spend the entire game on the same coloured square.
The bishops that start on the light squares will only ever occupy them.
This means that no matter what happens in a game of chess, a bishop will never be able to capture the opponent's bishop that starts on the opposite-coloured square.
How Rooks Move
Rooks move as far as they like along the same rank or file in a given turn.
They have unlimited range vertically or horizontally in a single move.
How the King Moves
Despite his supposed rank, the king in chess is the weakest and most vulnerable piece.
The king can only move one square in any direction.
He can move into any of the adjacent squares in a single turn.
Given that his situation on the board can trigger defeat for the player, he only really captures pieces when he has to.
How the Queen Moves
The queen is the most powerful piece in chess.
She can move as far as she likes in any direction: vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.
This makes the queen incredibly powerful but also a piece you must be careful about losing because, in many cases, it's better to have this piece on the board.
Capturing Pieces and Checkmate in Chess
In chess, each player's goal is to put their opponent's king into "checkmate," a situation in which the king will be captured no matter what the defending player does.
You capture pieces in chess by moving your piece onto the square occupied by an opponent's piece. When you do this, the piece is captured and removed from the board.
The only piece you can't technically capture is the king, which is instead put into "check". When you move a piece into a position that could capture the king on the next move, the king is said to be "in check".
The next turn, your opponent can move their king or another piece so that the king is no longer in check. If no move can be made by the defending player to get their king out of "check", then the king is said to be in "checkmate", and that player loses.
Special Rules of Chess
There are some special rules in chess that you should be aware of. In your first games, you mightn't encounter these rules, but we recommend that you look them up once you get used to how all the pieces move and have played a few matches.
Castling
Put simply, castling is a special move in which the king and rook can move at the same time, provided that neither has moved in the game and the king isn't in check. The two pieces kind of swap places with each other.
En Passant
En passant is when a pawn moves forward two places from its starting position alongside an opponent's pawn. In this instance, the opponent can capture the pawn alongside it. This move has to be done immediately after the original pawn moves.
Pawn Promotion
Pawn promotion is when a pawn reaches the last rank of the board. Upon arriving at the end of the board, the pawn can be promoted to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight. The pawn cannot remain a pawn.
Since most chess sets don't come with extra pieces, if the piece for promotion isn't available (i.e. the original pieces are still on the board and in play), you can play by turning a rook upside down. The rook is usually the only piece with a flat top that won't fall over when turned upside-down.
Other End of Game Rules
Most chess matches will finish with check and checkmate. However, there are a few other ways a chess match can end, including:
- Resigning
- Dead Position
- Draw
- Flag-Fall
Of course, if you need help studying chess, search for "chess" on the Superprof website today and start looking for a private chess tutor!
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