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How To...? Guides

  • How To Play Chess

Chess is a game of War, typically played by 2 players. Each Player controls a side of coloured pieces, 1 White and 1 Black, over a square of Board with 64 alternatively shaded light and dark coloured squares. Each player starts with 32 Pieces of varying types, shapes and abilities which represents the forces at the Player's disposal.

The aim of the game is to skillfully maneuver your Pieces such that no matter what your Opponent does, you will capture the King on the very next move. This is known as Checkmate as capturing the King is not required and it is given that Player achieving Checkmate is victorious as the Winner.

Starting with the White Player first, each Player takes it turn to make a move by picking up a Piece from a Starting Square and placing it down on a chosen Destination Square. Each Piece has a unique ability of moving and typically with a few exceptions, if a Piece is moved onto the same Square as an Opponent Piece, that Opponent Piece is Captured and eliminated from the game.

This alternating play continues until the game ends either by one side winning or a draw is reached.

  • How to setup the Chessboard

Before each game of Chess, there is a specific way each board is setup for a traditional game. Starting with an empty board, this is orientated so that the White square h1 is on the right-hand side of the White Player.

From the Black Player's point of view, the White square a8 is on the right-hand side. The best way to remember this is : "The White On the Right."

`The White Side is on Ranks 1-4 and therefore the White Pieces start on Ranks 1 and 2. Conversely the Black Side is on Ranks 5-8 with the Black Pieces starting on Ranks 7 and 8. White plays Up the board and Black plays down the board however from each Player's perspective they are both playing forward up the board.

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