Chess – How To Play

How To Play Chess

Do you want to learn how to play chess? cardgamerules.net will introduce all the rules and laws of playing chess in our detailed post on how to play chess. Lets explore the interesting moves and checks of one of the most intelligent and brain teasing games. Though the rules of chess have come a long way through some changes and variations, we have shared here the basic rules that will help kids to learn chess by knowing all the chess rules. Chess is a two-player strategy board game.We are sure you would be a good chess player once you go through the complete method of playing chess. Chess is played by two players with one chess board and sixteen pieces for each player.

The chess pieces are parallel for both the players except the different colors of blacks and whites. The whole game of chess revolves around posing a threat to the opponent’s king through checkmating. Rules of chess also include rules of movements of each of the pieces. The pieces include 1 king, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 1 queen, 2 knights and 8 pawns at each side of the chess board

Placement Of Chess Pieces

Before you start playing chess, learn how to play chess and check out how the different chess pieces should be placed on the chess boards which will be your basic step towards how to play chess.

  1. Rooks should be placed on the right and left edge outside corners.
  2. Knights are placed next to the rooks (towards inside)
  3. Bishops are placed beside knights (inside)
  4. Queen is arranged on the central square of the color of the player. If the player is playing white pieces, the queen should be on the central white square.
  5. King sits on the bank space next to the queen.
  6. All pawns are placed in front of the other pieces i.e. the next row.

Chess Rules – Moves of the Chess Pieces

See how each different chess piece can move and make sure in this game you do not use monopoly game rule; a first step towards learning how to play chess:

  1. Rook – A rook can move through any number of vacant squares in any direction including forward, backwards, right, left or straight line. It also moves with the king in a castling move.
  2. Bishop – Bishop piece moves diagonally only in a straight line through vacant spaces. Bishop of each player starts and stays on different color spaces.
  3. The queen can move through the vacant squares in all directions of left, right, forward, backward or in a straight diagonal direction.
  4. The king can move only one blank square in any direction including backward, forward, left, right or in a diagonal straight line. King can also make a move of castling in unification with the rook.
  5. Knight – It moves 2 squares in one direction and 1 in different directions but only forward and diagonal. If two steps are diagonal, one step will be forward; if two steps are forward, one step will be taken diagonally. The knight is the only chess piece that can jump over other pieces coming in its way. Due to even steps, knight changes its color of square every time it moves. Other pieces can jump over only in case of castling move.
  6. The pawn moves by two squares only when it is starting from its original square. Later on, it moves forward only by one space. Pawn may capture the enemy piece if it is exactly one space ahead of the pawn diagonally (left or right).
  7. Pieces other than pawns can win over enemy pieces with their defined movement of chess rules.
  8. The captured pieces are instantly removed from the chess board.

Play Chess

Once the chess game starts, players will use the following special moves as per their chess rules. The following special moves will completely make you master at how to play chess:

Castling

Castling move refers to movement of the king by two squares towards a rook and placing the rook adjacent to the king. Castling can be made only if king and rook pieces are moving for the first time and when there are no other pieces in between the rook and the king. The king should not be in a checked position and should not end up at the place which is under attack by any enemy chess piece. Moreover, while castling, the rook and king must be on the same row or rank.

En Passant

Whenever any pawn piece steps two squares ahead of its original square and stops adjacent to the enemy’s pawn, it will be captured by the enemy’s pawn as the pawn can take one step forward and capture the enemy.

Pawn Promotion

If a pawn reaches to the other side of the board right at the back rank of the opponent’s side, it gets promotion as queen or rook or bishop or knight as per player’s choice.

Check

A king is said to be in check when it is under attack by any enemy piece. A player may not make any such move which will leave his king in a checked position.

See how a player can get out of check to save the king:

  • By moving the king to a place where it is not vulnerable.
  • By capturing the threatening enemy piece.
  • By blocking the check by placing a piece in between the checked king and the enemy’s threatening chess piece.

As per the chess rules, once the player touches any piece for moving, he has to move that piece. Once a player moves the piece and leaves his hand from the piece, he can not revert the move or do any addition to the move so first learn how to play chess.

In a chess game with time controls, a player should make a move within a time limit. If he fails to do so, he loses the game. So he learned how to play chess.

Learn How To Play Chess

In what situations the chess game ends?

Whenever a player resigns, the opposite player wins the game. Draw happens when both the players agree to resolve the game due to insufficient play or due to no possibility of checkmates from any of the sides.

If a king is checked and there is no legal move, a player can make to save the king, he loses and the other player wins the game. The king is never really captured and removed from the board as the checkmate is either blocked or the game ends where there is no move to remove the check.

If a player proposes to draw the game, the opposite player may accept it or may reject it and continue to play as per rules of chess.

The game of chess is played with a chess board consisting of 64 squares in blacks and whites and 32 pieces. A player takes either blacks or white team of the pieces. The game is generally started by a player having whites. A player announces a check when he puts the opponent’s king under a threatening position. We are sure you would love how to play chess but it is an extremely interesting board game once you know all the chess rules. Share our how to play chess elaboration with your buddies in case they wish to learn to play chess. Do not forget to check out the rules of some other board games like monopoly rules. If you are fascinated with card games, we have posted on numerous exciting card game rules too including spades, crib and canasta. Share with us your favorite card game and board game and let us know if you liked our chess rules details.