| Chess Board |
| A chessboard has
sixty-four alternate black and white squares. |
| Files:
Straight-line sequence of squares between the player and the
opponent. |
|
Ranks:
Lines of squares which goes from left to right. |
|
Before
placing the pieces at the beginning of the game it should be ensured
that there is a white square on the right-hand side of the board for
each player.
On the
back row of white from left to right, the pieces are known as: Rook
(Castle), Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, another Bishop, Knight and
Rook. The front row has all the pawns. There are similar pieces in
black also. |
| Rules of the Game |
|
Movement of the piece:
1.
Rook: These pieces are confined to files and ranks. They can
move till the end of the board provided there is no restriction on
the way. |
| 2.Knights: Knights go two squares up or down a file,
then one square to the left and right. This L-shaped move allows it
to cross over others on the way. However, they are not allowed to
capture the pieces over which they are leaping. |
| 3.Bishops: Bishops can only move diagonally across the
board in their colour. |
| 4.Queen:
This is the most powerful piece. This can move diagonally like the
Bishop as well as move through rank and file like a
rook. |
| 5.King:
It can move only one place in any direction. |
| 6.Pawns:
All pawns move forward only at a time one square in its own file
except when it makes a capture. For the first move the player can
move it forward two squares if chosen. |
| |
| Aim |
|
The aim
of the game is to trap the opponent's king.
If the
king can be threatened by a move, it is known as check.
|
| En
Passant: If a pawn of any
colour is moved forward two squares and draws up alongside of
opposite pawn then the concerned pawn has the option to capture the
opposite pawn by moving it back one square only. |
| Castling: This can be
performed only once by either player in any one game. This is the
only time two pieces can be moved in any one move. The aim is to
bring the rook in the center of the board. The king moves two
squares sidewise in either direction and the rook is placed next to
it. The game can continue without carrying out castling. The king
cannot castle if it is under cheek or under the effect of opponent's
piece. |
| Draws:
When neither player has sufficient strength to achieve
check-mate. If same moves are repeated three times then the player
moving third time can claim a draw. If after 50 moves no pawn or
piece has been captured, a draw can be claimed. |
| En
Prise: A piece is
"en prise" when it is threatened by a piece of the opponent.
|
| Pin:
When a piece cannot be moved it is known as pinned, for e.g.,
if a bishop threatens the king and a knight is preventing the
same,then the knight cannot be moved as such the king is under pin.
|
| Promotion: When a pawn
reaches the opponent's back row this can be converted into a queen
or any piece required. |
| Stalemate:
When the king is the only piece that can be moved but only
into a place of check, then it is a stalemate and the game ends in a
draw. |
| Who can play the
white? This is decided by a lottery. Generally the weaker player
gets the white to play. |
| Pieces:
The first row at the commencement of a chess game comprises
pieces. Pawns are known as pawns only and are placed at the second
row. |
|
Value of the pieces:-
Pawn
Knight
Rook
Bishop
Queen |
1
point
3 points
5 points
3 points
9 points
|
| Touch and
Move: In this rule, if a player touches a piece, he must move it.
|
| Chess
Clock: Specially built
clocks are available for the game. Two clocks are assembled in one
unit. When the game begins, white's clock is started. When the white
makes the move he presses a button, which stops the white's clock
and starts the clock of the black. |
| Checkmate:
If the king is put under check by the opponent and the king
cannot escape to any other square, it is known as
checkmate. |
| Gambit:
To gain advantage at a later stage a pawn may be put en
prise, this is called gambit. |
| Blocked
Pawns: If a white pawn
is moved and it meets a hostile black pawn in the same file it is
blocked. Both the pawns cannot be moved, as such they are blocked.
|
| Passed
Pawns: Pawns having clear moving space along the files are passed
pawns. |
| Skewer: If an attack
develops on a piece directly and it can be moved to a safe place but
if it is moved then the real threat on some other piece may be
revealed and may be captured. This is known as skewer. |
| Notations |
|
There
are two types of notations to describe the game:
(i)
Descriptive notation (ii) Algebraic notation
|
| |
| Descriptive
Notation. The abbreviations are as follows: |
| (a) K |
King
|
| (b) Q |
Queen |
| (c) KB
|
King's Bishop
|
| (d) QB |
Queen's Bishop
|
| (e)
KN(KKt) |
King's Knight
|
| (f) QN (or QKt)
|
Queen's Knight
|
| (g) KR
|
King's
Rook |
| (h) QR
|
Queen's
Rook |
| (i) - |
Moves
to |
| (j) X |
Indicates a
capture |
| (k) Ch
|
Check |
| (l) 0.0
|
Castles on
King's side |
| (m) 0.0.0
|
Castles on
Queen's side |
| (n) ! |
A good
move |
| (o) ? |
A poor
move |
| Algebraic Notation |
| This is the only
system of recording games acceptable by FIDE (International Chess
Federation). From the white's back, row and files are numbered 1 to
8 and files are identified with letters a to h. |
Pieces are
referred by their initials except the pawn. Knights are identified
as N. Pieces are described in capitals.
(Courtesy - The
Hinduja Sports Foundation)
|
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