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How Do You Set Up a Chess Game?

Now over half a millenia old, the game of chess remains king among games of strategy. Though the game has evolved into many electronic forms in the twenty-first century, playing the old-fashioned way---with sculpted pieces and a checkered board---remains a popular pastime to be shared between two devoted strategists. With each chessman playing a distinct role in the workings of the game, a proper game of chess requires that each piece be placed in its proper position.

Things You'll Need

Chess set

Instructions

- 1
  Separate the black pieces from the white ones and make sure you have all the pieces you need. You should have sixteen chessmen of each color.
- 2
  Start with the white pieces, if you like. Place both the rook pieces on the outer, back corners of your side of the board. The rooks are the pieces that look like little castle towers. These pieces can move across the board in a single straight line of board block spaces, going either forward, back, left, or right, but they cannot change direction or move diagonally. They also cannot jump over other pieces and must either stop before they run into an another piece, or capture the enemy and stop on that space.
- 3
  Set the knights on the two back row spaces to the inside of the rooks. The knights are the chessmen that look like little horse heads. These pieces move in an unusual pattern: an "L" shape made up of one square for the short leg of the "L," and three squares for the long leg. Knights can jump over other pieces (both black and white) and capture the enemy pieces on the square on which they land. They cannot displace chessmen from their own team.
- 4
  Position the bishops on the third squares in from the outside on the back row, next to the knights. The bishops look like a bishop's hat. They are similar to the rooks in how they move, except they can only move diagonally.
- 5
  Put the queen on the fourth square in from the left. The queen is one of the two tallest pieces with the crown top---hers is the rounded one without the cross. The queen moves like a combination of a rook and bishop.
- 6
  Place the king on the last remaining back row square, next to the queen. The king can move diagonally or up and down, but can only move one space per move. If the king is placed in a position where he cannot be saved from capture, the game is lost.
- 7
  Set up the pawns on each square of the second row from the back. Pawns move forward only. They are each able to move two squares the first time they move, and one square at a time for each move after that.
- 8
  Re-create a mirror of the same setup on the other side of the board with the black chessmen.

Chess & Checkers