The board and the pieces
The squares, files and ranks, and where every piece starts.
The idea
Every square has a name, and every piece has a square to start on.
- Turn the board so each player has a light square in the right-hand corner.
- The rooks go in the corners, then the knights, then the bishops.
- The queen goes on her own colour, and the king stands beside her.
In a game: Before you play, check the light square is on your right and each queen is on her colour.
The lesson
A chess board has 64 squares, in eight rows of eight, in two colours. Place the board so that each player has a light square at their right-hand corner.
The columns are called files, lettered a to h from left to right. The rows are called ranks, numbered 1 to 8 from White’s side. Every square is named by its file and rank, such as e4.
Each side starts with 16 pieces. White’s are on ranks 1 and 2, and Black’s on ranks 7 and 8. On the back rank the rooks stand in the corners, then the knights, then the bishops, with the queen and king in the middle.
The queen stands on her own colour: the white queen on the light square d1, the black queen on the dark square d8.
A question
Which square is in the bottom-left corner when you look from White’s side?
Show the answer
a1.
Right. The corner at White’s left is a1, and it is a dark square. The corner at White’s right, h1, is light.
Find the move
White to move. Play the pawn from e2 two squares forward, to e4.
A hint
Pick the pawn on e2, then choose e4.
Show the answer
1. e4
A pawn may move one or two squares forward on its first move. e4 is one of the most popular first moves in chess.
A question
Where does the white king stand at the start of the game?
Show the answer
e1.
Right. The white king starts on e1 and the black king on e8, each facing the other.