Archive for the ‘Learn to Play Chess Strategy Game’ Category

chess pieces

Posted by jeffnetite under Learn to Play Chess Strategy Game

Tags: different chess pieces, chess pieces, chess introduction, chess intro, chess piece

“There are 6 different chess pieces…”

1 “Kings,”

2 “Queens,”

3 “Rooks,”

4 “Knights,”

5 “Bishops,”

6 “and Pawns.”

“Each piece has its own way of moving on the chessboard.”

“To play chess, you must learn how each piece moves.”

The word piece has three meanings, depending on the context. First, it may mean any of the physical pieces of the set, including any of the pawns. Second, it may be used to exclude pawns, referring only to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight, and perhaps also the king. Third, it may refer only to a minor piece (a bishop or knight). The context should make the intended meaning clear (Burgess 2000:478), (Hooper & Whyld 1992).

Tags: chess overview, simple chess rules, easy chess rules

Simple Easy Chess Game Rules Overview

1. “You play chess on an 8 x 8 board of light and dark squares.“

2. “Always turn the board so that a light square is in the lower right corner.“

3.”‘Light on Right’ is an easy way to remember this.” Rows on the chessboard are called RANKS (1 to 8).

4.”Columns on the chessboard are called FILES (a to h).

5.”Hint: RANK and ROW both start with R. This is an easy way to remember rank and file.“

6.”Chess is a war between two opposing armies: White and Black.“

7.”Each army has a King, a Queen, two Rooks, two Bishops, two Knights, and eight Pawns.“

8.”Start by setting-up the White army on your side of the board.“

9.”Put one Rook at each end of rank 1. The Rook looks like a castle or tower.“

10.”The rook’s castle shape comes from the Farsi Indian pieces which represented the tower carried by the elephant.“

11.”Next to each Rook, place a Knight. The Knights look like horses.“

12.”The Knight was originally called faras in Arabic, meaning horse. In Europe, the name of the horse evolved to the name of its rider, the Knight.“

13.”Add a Bishop next to each Knight. The Bishop has a notch in his hat.“

14.”There are two empty squares left on the near rank. The Queen is placed on the square that matches its color.”

15.”‘Queen on Color’ is an easy way to remember where the Queen goes. (White Queen on a White square).

16.”The King goes on the last empty square.“

17.”At the front of the army go the Pawns, or foot soldiers. Put one Pawn directly in front of each piece.“

18.”Now set up Black’s pieces. Black’s pieces always start on rank 8.“

19.”Queen on Color! (Black Queen on Black Square)”

20.”White always makes the first move in a game. Now you’re ready to play Chess!“

21.”Starting with White, each side takes turns moving.“

22.”You are allowed to move only ONE piece on each turn.”

King Piece

Posted by jeffnetite under Learn to Play Chess Strategy Game

Tags: checkmate king, king chess, king rules, chess king move, chess king moves

The King Chess Move

“The King is the most important chess piece.”

“If you CHECKMATE your opponent’s King, you WIN!!”

“If your King is checkmated, you lose!“

“In a checkmate, the King is not captured. Instead, you win if you could capture your opponent’s King on your next move and there is no move your opponent can make to prevent that from happening.“

“After seeing how the other pieces move, you will return to the subject of checkmate.“

“First, look at how the King moves.”

“The King can move one square in any direction.

The King does have one special move however, and it is allowed just once during the game. It is called ‘Castling ‘

“Important Rule #1: You may never move one of your pieces (even the King) to a square occupied by another of your pieces.“

“Important Rule #2: If an OPPOSING piece occupies a square to which you can move, you can CAPTURE the opposing piece by moving to that square, and removing your opponent’s piece from the board.“

“Although the King is the most important piece, it is also one of the weakest, because it can’t move very far in a single turn.“

“To win the game, the King must rely on the rest of his army.”

Queen Piece

Posted by jeffnetite under Learn to Play Chess Strategy Game

Tags: chess queen, chess queens, queen chess piece, chess queen moves, queen chess move

The Queen Chess Moves

“The Queen can move horizontally along ranks,”

“vertically on files,“

“or along either diagonal.“

“The Queen cannot move OVER another piece (of either color).

“Like the King, the Queens may capture the Black Pawn by moving to the square it occupies (but no farther).“

“The Queen is the most powerful piece because of her ability to attack so many squares simultaneously.”

The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of their first rank next to their king. The white queen starts on a white square, and the black queen on a black square, thus the mnemonic “queen gets her color” or “queen on color”. In algebraic notation, the white queen starts on d1, and the black queen on d8.

In the historical ancestors of chess, shatranj, the queen was a fairly weak piece called a fers or vizier, only able to move or capture one square in a diagonal direction. The modern queen’s move arose in 15th century Europe.

The piece is archaically known as the minister.

Rook Piece

Posted by jeffnetite under Learn to Play Chess Strategy Game

Tags: rook chess move, rook strategy, rook piece, rook play, rook game

The Rook Chess Move

“The Rook moves horizontally along ranks,“

“and vertically along files.“

“The Rook play cannot move OVER another piece (of either color).

“When blocked by an Opponent’s piece, the Rook game strategy may capture it by moving to the square it occupies.“

“Like the Queen, the Rook is a strong piece because of its ability to attack several squares simultaneously.”

ROOK STRATEGY GAME
Quoted in wikipedia

In general, rooks are stronger than bishops or knights and are consequently considered about two pawns greater in value. Winning a rook for a bishop or knight is referred to as winning the exchange. Two rooks are generally considered to be worth slightly more than a queen (see Chess piece point value). Rooks and queens are called heavy pieces or major pieces, as opposed to bishops and knights, which are called minor pieces.

In the opening, the rooks are undefended by other pieces, so it is usually desirable to connect one’s rooks on the first rank by castling and clearing all pieces except the king and rooks from the first rank. In that position, the rooks protect each other, and can easily move to threaten the most favorable files.

A common goal with a rook is to place it on the first rank of an open file, i.e. one unobstructed by pawns of either player, or a half-open file, i.e. one unobstructed by friendly pawns. From this position, the rook is relatively unexposed to risk but can control every square on the file. If one file is particularly important, a player may advance one rook on it, and move the other behind, doubling the rooks.

A rook on the seventh rank (the opponent’s second rank) is usually very powerful, as it threatens the opponent’s unadvanced pawns and hems in the enemy king. A rook on the seventh rank is sufficient compensation for a pawn (Fine & Benko 2003:586). In this position between Lev Polugaevsky and Larry Evans, the rook on the seventh rank enables White to draw, despite being a pawn down (Griffiths 1992:102-3).

Two rooks on the seventh rank are often enough to force victory, or at least a draw by perpetual check. These rooks are sometimes colloquially referred to as “pigs on the seventh”, because they often threaten to “eat” the opponent’s pieces or pawns.

Rooks are most powerful towards the end of a game, where they can move unobstructed by pawns and control large numbers of squares. They are somewhat clumsy at restraining enemy pawns from advancing towards promotion, unless they can occupy the file behind the advancing pawn. By the same token, a rook best supports a friendly pawn towards promotion from behind it in the same file.

A rook is a very powerful piece to deliver a checkmate. Below follows a few examples of rook checkmates that are easy to force.

Chess Etiquette
There are some official and unofficial rules of etiquette in the game of chess. The general theme of chess etiquette is to be a good sport and to be respectful. Some of the more common official rules of etiquette are as follows:

Every game must begin and end with the players shaking hands.

Between the two handshakes, no talking is permitted. “Check” need not be said. Players are responsible for noticing where all of the pieces on the board are located, and what threats are pending.

Never do anything to distract any other player in the tournament, especially your opponent.

Always use the “touch move” rule.

If an illegal move is made, the tournament director should be summoned. In a tournament using a “Sudden Death” time control, the other player receives an extra two minutes when one player makes an illegal move.

Never gloat over a victory, or become despondent or hostile following a defeat. It is always best to analyze the game with your opponent, after the game ends, and in a different room from where you played. Leave the playing room quietly when you finish so as not to distract the other people who are still playing.

Never comment on a game that is in progress, whether the game is yours or one that you are just watching.

The tournament director has the authority to punish breaches of etiquette, and may add or subtract time as a sanction. In extreme cases, players may be forfeited for violating the rules and spectators may be banned from the site.

These rules of etiquette generally apply to tournaments, but it is always a good idea to follow these. Being a good sport in chess and having fun generally makes for a better chess player.

Tags: bishop piece, bishop chess piece, bishop chess

The Bishop Chess Piece

“The Bishop moves along either diagonal.”

“Notice that the Bishop always moves to squares of the same color as the one it starts on.“

“Each side begins the game with two Bishops: One that moves on light squares and one that moves on dark squares.“

“Like the Queen, the Bishop cannot move over another piece.“

“As usual, if the blocking piece belongs to the opposing color, the Bishop can capture it simply by moving to that square.“

“Because it attacks fewer squares and is restricted to light or dark squares the Bishop is a weaker piece than the Queen or Rook.”

A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king’s knight and the king, the other between the queen’s knight and the queen. In algebraic notation the starting squares are c1 and f1 for White’s bishops, and c8 and f8 for Black’s bishops.

The canonical chessmen are now dated back to Howard Staunton and the Staunton chess set. The piece’s deep groove symbolizes a bishop’s (or abbot’s) mitre. The groove originates from the original form of the piece, an elephant (the groove represented the elephant’s tusks). This groove was interpreted differently in different countries as the game moved to Europe; in France, for example, the groove was taken to be a jester’s cap, hence in France the bishop is called “fou” (the fool). In some Slavic languages (e.g. Czech/Slovak) the bishop is called “st?elec/strelec”, which directly translates to English as a “shooter” meaning an archer.

Knight Piece

Posted by jeffnetite under Learn to Play Chess Strategy Game

Tags: knight chess, chess knight piece, knight piece

The Knight Chess Piece

“The Knight makes L-shaped moves. Two squares along a rank or file, and then one square at a right angle.“

“Notice that the Knight always lands on a square of a different color from the one on which it starts.“

“The Knight is special: It jumps OVER pieces.“

“The Knight, like the Bishop, is considered less powerful than the Queen or Rook. Even though it attacks fewer squares than a Bishop, its jumping ability makes it a valuable piece.”

The knight sometimes referred to by players as a ‘horse’ is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight (armoured cavalry). It is normally represented by a horse’s head, leading amateur chess players to refer to it as a Horse.

Each player starts with two knights, which start on the rank closest to the player. Expressed in algebraic notation, the white knights start on b1 and g1, while the black knights start on b8 and g8.

Tags: chess tips, general chess

Other general tips

Don’t castle if it brings your King into greater danger from attack in your chess game.

After castling, keep a good pawn formation around your King.

If you only have one Bishop, put your pawns on its opposite color in your chess game. (very important)

Trade pawns pieces when ahead in material or when under attack.

If cramped, free your game by exchanging material in your chess game.

If your opponent is cramped, don’t let him get any freeing exchanges.

Study openings you are comfortable with. in your chess game.

Play over entire games, not just the opening.

Blitz chess is helpful in recognizing chess patterns. Play often.

Study annotated games and try to guess each move in your chess game.

Stick with just a few openings with White, and a few openings with Black.

Record your games and go over them, especially the games you lost.

Show your games to higher rated opponents and get feedback from them.

Use chess computers and databases to help you study and play more.

Everyone blunders. The champions just blunder less often in their chess game.

When it is not your move, look for tactics and combinations.

Try to double Rooks or double Rook and Queen on open files in your chess game.

Always ask yourself, “Does my next move overlook something simple?“

Don’t make your own plans without the exclusion of the opponent’s threats

Watch out for captures by retreat of an opponent’s piece in your chess game.

Do not focus on one sector of the board. View the whole board.

Write down your move first before making that move – it helps avoid blunders.

Try to solve chess puzzles with diagrams from books and magazines.

It is less likely that an opponent is prepared for off-beat openings.

Recognize transposition of moves from main-line play in your chess game.

Watch your time and avoid time trouble in your chess game.

Bishops are worth more than Knights except when they are pinned in.

A Knight works better with a Bishop than another Knight in your chess game.

It is usually a good idea to trade down into a pawn up endgame.

Have confidence in your  chess game.

Play in as many rated events as you can.

Try not to look at your opponent’s rating until after the game.

Always play for a win in your chess game.

Pawn Piece

Posted by jeffnetite under Learn to Play Chess Strategy Game

Tags: pawn chess, pawn piece, pawns, pawn moves, pawn

The Pawn Chess Piece

“All White Pawns start from rank 2.“

“All Black Pawns start from rank 7.“

“Pawns always move toward the opposite side of the board.“

“From its starting square, a Pawn may travel one or two squares forward.“

“The first time a Pawn is moved, it’s the player’s choice.“

“Unlike other pieces, the Pawn cannot capture an opposing piece that lies in its path.“

“A Pawn can only capture a piece on one of the two squares diagonally in front of it.“

“Pawns are the least valuable piece. But don’t throw them away thoughtlessly. A single Pawn can sometimes mean the difference between winning and losing!”

The pawn is the weakest and most numerous piece in the game of chess, representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the second rank from the view of the player. In algebraic notation the white pawns start on a2, b2, c2, …, h2, while the black pawns start on a7, b7, c7, …, h7.

Pawns are differentiated by the files on which they currently stand. For example, one speaks of “White’s f-pawn” or “Black’s b-pawn”or, less commonly, “White’s king’s bishop’s pawn” or “Black’s queen’s knight’s pawn” (using descriptive notation). It is also common to refer to a rook pawn, meaning any pawn on the a-file or h-file, a knight pawn (on the b- or g-file), a bishop pawn (on the c- or f-file), a queens pawn (on the d-file), a kings pawn (on the e-file), and a central pawn (on either the d- or e-file).

As pawns differ so much from other pieces, the usage of the word pieces in chess literature usually excludes the pawns, although this distinction between “pieces” and “pawns” is not found in the official rules.