Introduction to Chess
Chess is a board game played between two players using
armies of pieces on a board. Chess began around 500 BC, but was first recorded
in India during 400 AD.
The earliest known
chess piece dates back 1,400 years ago in Egypt. The origin of chess likely
came from the Indian game Chaturanga (four-fold war). In the 4th century, King
Licinius reigned over Western Europe. He introduced his own version of chess
and banned other games including dice and draughts, which were both popular at
the time.
There are 64 squares
arranged in eight rows of eight squares each. Each player starts out with 16
pieces of their color on the first row, second row, etc., starting with the
colors white and black playing opposite sides of the board. Pieces move
individually along the squares, beginning with the king, then rook, bishop,
knight, queen, and finally pawn. A pawn may only travel on its initial file.
Each piece moves either vertically or horizontally, depending on where they
start out. Pawns cannot capture any piece unless specifically stated.
A piece can make a
number of different moves, each moving it closer to capturing the opposing
king, and ending the game. Capturing means removing the opponent's piece from
the board and placing it in yours. Only one side of the board is captured per
turn; the side of the piece is not changed.
What is Chess?
Chess is one of the
oldest games in existence dating back to around 500 B.C., where simple rules
have evolved over time. A game of chess consists of two opposing teams of 8
pieces each (8 pawns, knights, bishops, kings, queen, rooks, and castles)
arranged on a square board. Each piece has its own individual function and
moves differently than others. To win at chess, you need to surround your
opponent's king and take control of their pieces.
How does Chess Affect Your Brain?
In chess, your brain
must make quick decisions based on visual cues. You can't just memorize your
position but must use logic and strategy to beat your opponents. When you play
chess, you're constantly making decisions about how best to attack, defend, and
maneuver your pieces. In fact, chess requires a lot of executive functioning
skills. Chess training has been linked to improved memory, attention, language
processing, problem solving abilities, reasoning skills, and many other
cognitive processes.
Why Does Chess Training Help Learning & Memory?
Research shows that
chess players retain information longer because they're learning from
experience rather than simply memorizing facts. Through playing chess, we're
using our brains' working memory, an area that stores short-term memories.
Using working memory means that we're able to focus our attention to learn
something new while thinking about what we already know.
How Do I Learn Chess Quickly?
Think like a chess
player. If you're trying to remember something, try to think about if it makes
sense or not. Try to imagine yourself in the situation and then recall what was
happening. If you're having trouble remembering something, write it down. Write
down everything you know about the subject. Then, read it back to yourself.
Once you've done this, you'll likely have some ideas about what you may be
forgetting. Think about your answers and see if they make any sense. If they
do, then go ahead and commit them to memory. If they don't, then you now have a
place to start thinking about it more deeply.
How Can I Improve My Chess Skills?
Practice often! Play
online against an AI, or even play against your friends. Even watching videos
of grand masters can help improve your skills. Remember, practice doesn't
always mean perfecting your skills. Just make sure you work hard enough that
your skill level increases.
Where Can I Find More Information About Chess?
Chess.com is a great
resource for learning about chess. There are lots of articles on different
topics related to chess. You can also find tournaments and tournaments that
have specific themes to teach you things, like starting a business.
Brief Rules to Play Chess - At a Glance
- Chess is a game played on a board consisting of sixteen squares arranged in four rows of four squares each. Each player begins the game with eight pawns and a king. The object of the game is to checkmate (check-mate) the opponent's king. In order to do so, the player must place his/her own king in checkmate position on their side of the board.
- A chess piece is moved either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally forward along a row (or a line of squares), or backward along a column (or a line of ranks). When a piece reaches the end of its move, it returns to where it started. The only exception is the rook, which may advance any number of squares. Diagonal moves are not permitted; that is, a rook cannot jump over adjacent pieces. Pawns can only move two spaces per turn.
- There are 64 different types of chess piece, categorized according to their move. Each type of piece represents a specific move. For example, the bishop can make three types of moves: (a) move two spaces orthogonally; (b) move one space diagonally; or (c) move two spaces diagonally. If a piece makes two diagonal moves in succession, then the second move overrides the first.
- When a piece lands on an opposing piece, it is said to capture that piece. However, if the captured piece is immediately removed from play, it is called a draw.
- Checkmate occurs when the king is blocked from moving, and the king is surrounded by the opponent's pieces. In addition, the king must have no legal move. Any other combination is considered stalemate, and the players switch sides. The game ends after ten minutes of five-minute time controls.
- Chess is played with two identical pieces of wood connected at their ends by hinges; they move simultaneously around a board containing 64 squares. A player makes his moves by placing a white piece (king) on any square he chooses or by capturing another piece (queen, knight,...) with his own queen. A game consists of two players taking alternating turns, moving each piece only once per turn. The object of the game is for a player's king (the most powerful piece) to reach a specified destination while being protected by the opponent's pieces.
- A player cannot attack himself except for the initial castling move. Only pawns may advance to adjacent squares, rooks and bishops may not do so unless necessary to protect them, knights may move either orthogonally or diagonally forward or backward, but never sideways, and queens move in straight lines. All pieces have equal power except for the king whose power increases with the number of pieces defending it; thus a single king can easily defeat several weaker opponents. There are no stalemate positions, although a draw can result from repetition of earlier position. The game ends when the winner captures the opponent's king.
Objective:
The objective of the
game is to checkmate the opponent’s king, i.e., force it to lose its last
defensive piece and be captured by one’s own remaining pieces on the final
legal move. If the opposing king reaches a given square without first being
captured, then it becomes immediately checkmated. Thus, if both kings start in
opposite corners, the first player wins by reaching the center of the board.
Types of captures:
(A) Checkmate
If the enemy king is completely surrounded by your own pieces,
(B) Stalemate
If neither king can be moved without being captured themselves
(C) Promotion
If a pawn reaches the end square, it becomes a queen and gains many powerful abilities. Promotions occur after certain numbers of moves have passed by.
Remember While Playing Chess
Moves are executed
using three different methods: (1) moving a single piece onto a square, (2)
moving a group of connected pieces onto a single square, and, (3) capturing an
individual piece by jumping over it. These actions have specific rules based on
whether a piece is single, double, triple, or quadruple connected. If a piece
is connected, then it may make a move that takes it off of its original square
and onto any adjacent ones. Connected pieces may also make a simultaneous
attack by combining forces to occupy more than one square at once.
If a piece takes a
step off of its original square, then it must take a smaller step toward its
target square. For example, a knight takes four steps to reach its destination,
while a pawn takes only one.
Captures can be made
by jumping over the opponent's piece(s), and vice versa, except for the
opposing king, which cannot be jumped over. Jumping does not mean advancing
until reaching the target square, but rather jumping and landing on the
designated square.
White wins if all of the pieces are successfully moved into position to win. Black wins if he manages to get his king into safety before the white king attacks him. The game ends when one side checksmate or stalemates the other.
