If you or your kids want to learn chess rules so that you can start to play one of the greatest games ever invented, you may be intimidated if you try to read a book or manual of instructions. There are many so many different strategies in chess that you may be overwhelmed. Really all you need to know to get started are the chess rules basics. Once you learn how to set up the board, how to move the pieces and what the object of the game is, you can start to play. Here are some chess rules to get you started:
1. The chess board: The board has 8 rows of 8 squares which alternate between black and white (or light and dark) colored squares. To begin according to chess rules, the pieces are in two rows right in front of each player on opposite sides of the board.
2. The pieces: pieces are called "white" or "black" because of traditional chess rules, but they can be any color. Each player has 8 pawns, 2 rooks (castles), 2 knights (horses), 2 bishops, 1 queen and 1 king. The pawns are in the front row and the rooks, knights, bishops, and the king and queen are on the back row.
3. How the pieces move in chess rules:
Pawns: They can move straight forward two squares for their first move and forward one square every time after that. If they are going to "capture" the other player's piece they can move forward diagonally one square to the left or right.
Rooks: They can move straight forward, backwards or sideways, but they cannot jump over a piece.
Knights: One of the trickier chess rules is how the knights move. They can move two spaces forward and one space to the left or right-kind of like an L.
Bishops: The bishops can move diagonally across the board but they cannot jump pieces.
Queen: The queen can move forward, backwards, or side to side, but she cannot jump any pieces.
King: The king can move one space in any direction: forward, backwards, side to side or diagonally.
The object of the game is to protect your own king and to capture the other player's king. You will also want to capture as many of the other player's pieces as possible. Once you learn and understand the basic rules, you can learn the harder strategies and rules.
