Chess is a game of skill for two players. It is played on a chessboard of 64 squares (8 x 8) coloured alternately light and dark. The board is placed between the players so that each has a light coloured square in the right-hand corner.

The Chessmen

Both sides have EIGHT PIECES and EIGHT PAWNS, set out initially as shown, each queen on the square of her own colour.

Object

The object of the game is to capture (checkmate) the opponent's king.

Play

The players toss for colour, then move in turn White always starting. The moves of the different men are:

King: One square in any direction

Queen: Any number of squares in a straight line (i.e., and extension of the king's move).

Rook or Castle: Any number of squares forward, backward or sideways.

Bishop: Any number of squares diagonally. A bishop always stays the square of one colour.

Knight: The knight's move is a combination of one square forward or backward then two squares sideways, or one square sideways then two squares forward or backward. Notice that the knight always moves to square of the opposite colour to the one on which it stands.

Pawn: One square straight forward only, with and option of two squares on its first move. A pawn on reaching the end rank is at once promoted to a piece (other than a king) of the player's choice, usually a queen as this is the strongest piece. Thus it is possible, though unusual, to have several queens on the board at the same time.

A man may only move in one direction on each move. No two men may occupy the same square and no man except the knight may jump over another man. The pawn is the only man who may not move backwards and the pawns and the knights are the only men who can move in the initial position.

Castling: This is a special move in which the king and a rook are move simultaneously. The king is move two squares towards one of the rooks which is then brought to the square over which which the king is passed. Castling is only permitted if -

1) No men of either colour stand between the king and the rook;
2) Neither the king nor the rook have been previously moved;
3) The king is not in check before or after castling , and the intervening square (that to which the rook is moved) is not attacked by an enemy man.

Capturing

A capture is made by moving a pawn or piece on to a square occupied by an enemy man which is at once removed from the board. Men capture in the same way that they move except the pawn which captures one square diagonally forward. A pawn which makes the two-square initial move may be captured by an enemy pawn (not a piece) as if it had only moved one square provided the capture is made on the next move. This is known as taking en passant.

Capturing is optional unless it is the only legal move available. A player may not capture on of his own men.

Check and Checkmate

A king is attacked (i.e., in a position to be taken on the next move) is said to be in check. The player who makes the attack usually announces "Check." The player whose king is in check must on his next move get his king out of check in one of the following ways:

1) Capture the attacking piece;
2) Interpose a man between the attacking piece and king; or
3) Move his king.

If he is unable to do any of these his king is checkmated and he has lost the game. It follows that a player may not make a move that places his king in check, nor may the kings ever stand next to each other.

Stalemate

If a player whose turn it is to move and whose king is not in check has no legal move, then the game is a draw (stalemate).

Other ways of concluding the game

Checkmate is not possible with certain minimum forces (for example, king and bishop against king) when the game is drawn. A position that is repeated three times with the same player to move can be claimed a draw by either player. This commonly arises from a succession of checks ("perpetual check"). A game can also be concluded by agreement. If a player considers his position is hopeless he can resign the game while both players can agree a draw at any time if they wish.

Table of Values