How to Play Chess for Beginners

Almost everyone in the world recognizes chess. As one of the most popular tabletop games, kids and adults alike are definitely interested in learning how to play chess. With chess helping people develop creativity, improve memory, and increase self-awareness, it is easily one of the most beneficial skills to learn in life.

Chess is usually played with two players on an 8 x 8 board with 32 chess pieces. Even with a simple set up, the game can have several outcomes that show just how complex and different each game can be. If you’re a beginner, it can be quite complicated to navigate through your first game–but that’s what we’re here for!

In this article, we walk you through the basic rules for chess and what you can do to improve your gameplay.

Playing Chess: How to Set Up the Chess Board

Chess is traditionally played on a board with 64 alternating squares. If properly set up, the rightmost square along the edge should be a white or light-colored box. Additionally, the pieces are set up in the last two rows of each player’s side.

Each row on the board is called a rank. When you set up, the second rank (the one further from the player) should have a line of eight pawns. The first row has a symmetrical set up, with the castles (or rooks) at the outermost boxes, followed by the knights, and then the bishops. Finally, on the last two center squares, you put your queen and king.

If you want to check if you got your set up correctly, then you can look at the opposite kings and queens. Each piece should be symmetrical to one another. If you are still unsure about your set up, then you can check out a lot of pictures online.

The Basic Rules for Chess

There are a lot of chess shows and movies that highlight both drama and strategy involving the game. Of course, in real life, we usually take the drama aspect out. What you have left is the equally thrilling and exciting part of chess gameplay: strategy! 

The most important thing to remember about chess is that it is a solo sport. Unlike other popular sports, chess is played between two individuals. Each individual is meant to outsmart the other with each move. It’s why chess is often called the battle of wits.

Each player must make a single, strategic move that follows the correct legal moves for each piece. Neither player is allowed to skip a turn. That’s why you have to make sure that each of your move count. Playing chess as a beginner isn’t usually as nerve wracking as playing like a grandmaster, but the element of strategy is always present.

Whether you’re a beginner, a novice player like Nadav Berenstein, or a chess grandmaster, there are several basic rules that you need to remember. We listed some of the most basic chess rules that you need to remember when you play.

Check and Checkmate

“Check” and “checkmate” are two words that you will often hear when playing chess. If you’re a beginner, however, it can be quite confusing to distinguish what the two mean. So what do the two words mean?

With chess, the game ends when the king is captured–which is why you need to have a signal when you’re almost about to win. “Check” is called out when a player makes a move that allows them to take or capture the king. The opposite or checked player must then make a move to stop the attack on the next turn, which is usually by moving the king or blocking the attacking piece.

The game ends when a player calls “Checkmate”. Essentially, this means that you make a move that guarantees the capture of the king. With your opponent unable to make any defensive maneuvers against your attack, the game ends and the player wins.

For beginners, it is more common for games to end with a checkmate. However, there will be situations–especially in higher levels–where a draw will occur. This is most likely when both players are unable to win with any of the remaining pieces or possible legal moves–a situation called “dead position”. Of course, advanced chess rules also detail more rules and situations, but for now you can focus on finding a way to checkmate your opponent!

How to Capture Pieces

Each chess piece is unique and has a legal movement assigned to it. Depending on your strategy, some chess pieces will be more vital than others. On the other hand, some chess pieces are best eliminated from your opponent’s board to give you a better chance at winning.

In order to eliminate pieces, you need to capture them. So how do you capture a piece?

If a piece goes on a square that has a piece from the opposite color, then the opposite piece is captured. For example, a black knight that legally lands on a square with a white bishop captures the bishop. It is important to note that you cannot go on a square with a piece from your end–but you definitely can go on a piece with an opposing color!

A turn ends when a piece is captured. In the long run, it pays to be strategic with which pieces you capture. Most players will want to go after the queen, but your strategy can definitely vary based on your technique and strategy.

How to Move Chess Pieces

The rules for chess have very specific stipulations when it comes to the movement of the pieces. You can only legally win a game of chess if you follow these rules. For beginners, it can get confusing–so we broke down the legal movement for each piece in this section.

Pawns

Pawns can only move one square forward in a straight line, unless it is its first time to be played. If you are playing an unmoved pawn, you may choose to put the pawn two squares forward, provided that the squares are empty. A pawn may not move backward in any case.

A pawn cannot move diagonally, unless it is to capture an opposing piece. A pawn may move diagonally if there is an opposing piece on either diagonal left or right. It cannot capture an adjacent piece, nor can it move diagonally without capturing a piece.

Rook

The rook is alternatively called the tower. It can move straight ahead any number of squares in its rank or column. It can capture pieces by moving into its space.

The rook’s movement is alway straight and it may not be divided into two. Additionally, they cannot move diagonally in any circumstance.

Knights

Knights are the pieces that often have a horse’s head. They are also the only piece that may move through other chess pieces. Similar to how a horse can jump over things, the knight can also “jump over” other chess pieces, be it on their side or on their opponent’s.

The knight moves in a fixed “L” pattern: two squares forward or backward, and a square horizontally or vertically OR two squares left or right and a square forward or backward. This movement allows the knight to jump over pieces and position on another rank or column as needed. The knight however can only move this way and it cannot cut its movement in any form.

Bishop

Playing the bishop is fairly straightforward. It moves any number of squares diagonally. This means that it must go to boxes of the same color.

Bishops cannot move in a straight line in any condition. This limits its movement, but each bishop will be placed in different colored boxes, allowing you some versatility. Its movement allows you to capture pieces that are in diagonal spaces.

Queen

Many chess players will agree that the queen is one of the most powerful pieces in a game of chess! That is purely because of its movement. The queen’s movement combines the rook’s and the bishop’s as it can move any number of squares forward or backward diagonally, horizontally, or vertically.

The only thing to remember about the queen’s movement is that it needs to be in a straight line. Thus, you cannot legally use a knight’s move when you play the queen. This is one of the most versatile pieces and many chess players use the queen for offensive plays.

King

The king is the most important piece in chess. Unlike the other pieces, a king is not captured–because the game ends when a player loses their king! Your strategy should revolve around pursuing a checkmate while defending your king.

The king moves one square diagonally, vertically, or horizontally. Take note that the king cannot move into a space that would ensure a checkmate for the other player. Use your king’s movement wisely!

Play Chess!

Now that you know the basic rules for chess, well–it’s time to get playing!

You can find a lot of individuals in both local parks and online servers that can help you practice. Additionally, you can also practice chess by yourself. If you have a chessboard, you can play alone and see how you would move the pieces effectively. On the other hand, if you have a computer, you can also try to win against the AI first and learn as you go.

Chess is a thrilling and complex game that lets you exercise your creativity and strategy. Get started and play chess today!