Chess Basics Overview

How many squares are there on a standard chessboard?

Which chess piece can move only one square straightforward?

In chess, what is the term for a player’s king being under threat of capture?

Which chess piece can move any number horizontally and vertically?

What is the term for promoting a pawn to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight when it reaches the last rank?

What type of move involves the king moving two squares towards a rook while the rook moves to the square crossed by the king in chess?

How many stages are there in a game of chess?

Which chess piece can move any number diagonally?

What is the term for a pawn capturing a square crossed by an opponent's pawn that has moved two squares in one go?

Which chess piece can promote into a queen, rook, bishop, or knight when it reaches the last rank?

In chess, what is the term for a player's king being under threat of capture?

Which chess piece moves one square horizontally, vertically, or diagonally?

Chess Overview

Chess is one of the oldest and most popular games played by two opponents
The objective of the game is to trap the opponent's king (checkmate)

Chessboard

The chessboard consists of 64 squares, arranged in an 8x8 grid
The squares are divided into light-colored tiles ("light" or "white") and dark-colored tiles ("dark" or "black")

Stages of the Game

The game is divided into three stages: Opening, Middle game, and Endgame

Arrangement of Pieces

Ranks refer to the horizontal rows of the chessboard
Files refer to the vertical rows of the chessboard

Chess Pieces

King "K" moves one square horizontally, vertically, or diagonally
Queen "Q" moves any number of squares horizontally, vertically, and diagonally
Bishop "B" moves any number of squares diagonally
Knight "N" moves in an L pattern, jumping to a new location
Rook "R" moves any number of squares horizontally and vertically
Pawn moves one square straightforward, but can move 1 or 2 squares for the first move

Special Moves

Check: a player's king is under threat of capture
En Passant Capture: a pawn can capture an opponent's pawn as though it had only moved one square
Castling: the king is transferred to a new square, and the rook is transferred to the square the king crossed
Promoted Pawn: a pawn that reaches the last rank can promote into a queen, rook, bishop, or knight

Removing Check

Capturing the piece that's checking the king

Learn about the nature and objective of chess, the layout of the chessboard with its 64 squares and two types of colored tiles, the three stages of a chess game - opening, middle game, and endgame, and the arrangement and movements of different chess pieces like the King and Queen.