Chess sets number in the millions…so how do you play?
Chess is often thought of as the ‘thinking man’s game'for a good reason – it does actually require a degree of intelligence and foresight in order to play. That is not to say that only the smart can play – far from it. All you really need is an experienced chess player, a decent board and you’re ready to go. There are a variety of chess sets you can use to keep it interesting including the now very popular three dimensional chess sets originally showcased on Star Trek in the 1960s. To start with though, it is probably best to stick to a standard board.
What’s the history?
This isn’t a simple question to answer unfortunately. The origins of chess are a little muddled and contested, but it is generally believed that the modern game evolved from games played in India almost two thousand years ago – yes, chess is that old! The game that we know today has been around since the 15th century and you may be familiar with some of the pieces often associated with medieval times – Isle of Lewis chessmen. These pieces are large and have distinctive features as demonstrated in the image below.
What are the rules?
Simply put, chess is a game played by two opponents on opposite sides of a chequered board containing 64 squares. The most common colours are black and white or brown and cream. Each player has 16 pieces: 1 King, 1 Queen, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 2 Rooks (or Castles) and 8 Pawns. The aim of the game is to capture the King. This is achieved through eliminating as few or as many pieces possible to put the King in a position where it is impossible to escape – this is called ‘checkmate’.
First Game
At the start the pieces are laid out in two rows on either side of the board facing eachother. Pawns make up the entire first row with the rest of the pieces standing behind. Rooks go in the corners, Knights line up next to the Rooks on both sides, Bishops line up next to the Knights and finally the King and Queen take centre stage in the middle. The Queen always goes on her matching colour; eg black on black, white on white.
White always goes first so usually players flip a coin to determine who’s white and who’s black – a bit like deciding which team kicks off in a game of football.
How do the pieces move?
Each of the 6 different types of piece moves in a different way. It is one of the reasons the game requires a degree of strategy in order to win. Each Pawn can move forward one space, except on the first go when they can move two spaces if the player wishes. Pawns can only take opposing pieces that in an adjacent diagonal position to them. Rooks can only move in straight lines forward and backward, left and right. They can take any opposing pieces that are in their path but cannot move over their own pieces. Knights have an odd move which involves them going in an ‘L'shape – two squares in one direction and then one square at a 90 degree angle. They are the only pieces that can jump over their own colour pieces.
A Bishop can move as far as it wants – but only diagonally. Each Bishop starts on one colour – light or dark – and stays on that colour throughout the game. Next is the Queen! The Queen is the one piece on the board that is the most versatile and powerful. She can move in any direction for as many squares as she wants. The only pieces she can’t move through are her own. Like the other pieces, the Queens move is over when the player decides to stop her or when she has taken an opposing player’s piece.
Finally the King! The King is the most important piece and also the weakest. He can move in any direction…but only one square per move. He can never move himself into check – the position where he could be captured by the opposing player.
Start playing!
There are millions of chess sets in the world. All one need do is go down to the local toyshop or browse online to find a perfect set to start playing on. So if you’ve never played before or have been afraid of playing, why not give it a go now you know how?
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