This article discusses the basics of an ancient and unique board game that has continued to challenge, amuse and confound many people over several centuries. This contemporary and age-old game goes by one familiar name: chess.
The game of chess is one of tactics; it’s a mind sharpening exercise, one which needs you to be one step ahead all the time. As with everything else in life, know-how is the key to victory.
To win in chess, a solid grasp of the essentials is very important. Hence you really need to know the usage and the names of each chess game piece to become a winner.
As you well know, chess is limited to 2 players who take turns in moving their chess pieces. In this light, chess is similar to any other board game. The two players decide which pieces to use: black or white. Then, you get into action and position your pieces like the knights of the medieval era; on every turn, you’re allowed to reposition only one of your pieces, but your ultimate objective is to get to your opponent’s king and seize the piece. Whoever seizes the other player’s king first trumps the match!
Now let us discuss the specifics; the first piece you’ll be examining is the bishop. This game piece is restricted to moving only in a straight, diagonal direction. The bright side is that its movement is not restricted to a number of squares in one direction. Next is the Rook. If you look at it, it reminds you of a miniature-sized tower. You can move the rook in either a vertical or horizontal direction only. Again, like the Bishop game piece, the Rook has no restrictions on the number of squares it can move.
We will now discuss the piece to be reckoned with, in the enemy of many, the most powerful of all…the Queen. The Queen has established quite a high reputation simply because this game piece has unbounded mobile options in that she can be moved in any direction allowed, and across any amount of squares too. The king is the queen’s exact opposite. Even though the King is the key piece in the game, it is restricted to one square at a time. The only benefit the King has is that it can be moved in any direction.
Next in line is the Knight chess piece. The chess piece with a horse head form is your knight. He moves in an erratic way: in an L shape. What makes the knight quite different is that it’s the only chess piece that is allowed to jump over other chess pieces. This is really not surprising. Real horses take huge leaps!
Lastly, don’t forget the humble pawns. Of course, “weak” would describe the piece more accurately than “humble.” They’re weak because their movements are very restricted in terms of direction and range. You see, pawns have nowhere to go but a step forward per turn. Their role is not to be underestimated though. If a pawn happens to reach the other side of the board, this will enable the owner to retrieve one of the pieces that were taken during the game.
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The author is co-owner of Quality Chess.net, an online chess store where you can browse for a variety of chess products, including your favorite glass chess set or top quality chess pieces.
