17 Questions
What symbol is used to indicate a capture of a piece?
x
What symbol is used to indicate a check?
Which of the following is a valid square designation?
e6
What symbol is used to indicate a pawn promotion?
=
What symbol is used to indicate a checkmate?
What indicates that a player's king is in check?
Check
What is the symbol for the Rook piece in chess?
R
What is the term used to describe a check that a king cannot escape?
Checkmate
How many squares does a Pawn capture diagonally?
One
What is the maximum number of squares a Pawn can move on its first move?
Two
Which chess piece can move in an L-shaped pattern?
Knight
What does the algebraic notation 'Nxf3' represent?
A knight captures the piece on f3
How would you record a pawn being promoted to a queen on the e8 square?
e8=Q
If a move puts the opponent's king in check, what additional notation is used?
What square is represented by the algebraic notation 'f6'?
The 6th rank (row) and f file (column)
How would you notate a rook capturing a pawn on d4?
Rxd4
If both your knights can move to e5, how do you disambiguate which one?
Nfe5 or Nbe5
Study Notes
Check and Checkmate
- A game ends with a stalemate draw if the king is not in check, but no piece can be moved without putting the king in check.
- Checkmate is a check that the king cannot escape.
Algebraic Notation
- Algebraic notation is a standard way of recording and describing chess moves using letters and numbers to identify each square on the board.
- Each square on the board is uniquely identified by a letter and a number.
- The letters a-h represent the files (columns) from left to right, and the numbers 1-8 represent the ranks (rows) from bottom to top.
- When describing a move, the notation of the piece followed by the destination square is used.
- Captures are indicated by specifying the piece making the capture, followed by "x", and then the square of the captured piece.
- Pawn moves are indicated by the destination square only.
- Castling is noted as "O-0" for kingside castling and "O-0-0" for queenside castling.
Symbols and Valuations
- Piece symbols: K, Q, R, B, N
- Square designations: a-h for files, 1-8 for ranks
- Capture indicator: "x"
- Check indicator: "+"
- Checkmate indicator: "#"
- Pawn promotion: "=" followed by the promoted piece (e.g., =Q for queen)
- Each piece is assigned a point value to determine its quantitative advantage or strength.
Piece Moves
- The knight is the only piece that can move over tiles occupied by other pieces.
- The knight moves in an L-pattern, covering four tiles including the square of origin.
Evolution of Chess Pieces
- The original chariot is now the rook.
- The original foot-soldier is now the pawn.
- The pawn can move one square forward, captures diagonally, and can be promoted to any official piece.
Fundamental Rules
- Touch move rule: a player who deliberately touches a piece on the board must move or capture that piece if it is legal to do.
- Castling/Castle's move: the only time in chess that two pieces can move at once, and the only time a piece other than the knight can move over another piece.
- Stalemate: a kind of draw that happens when one side has no legal moves to make.
Test your knowledge about the evolution of chess pieces, including their original and modern names, moves, and point values. Learn about how the rook and foot-soldier have transformed into the modern chess pieces we know today.
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