Playing Chess Guide Beginners

A permanent record of chess moves can be made either on a hard copy scoresheet or a computer database. This enables you to replay your own games as well as those of Grandmasters and World Champions, past and present, from which you can learn the art of tactics and strategy.

We use the coordinates of the chess board to record the moves and thereby document games for future reference. The method is exactly the same as for the game of Battleships and for reading maps. Each piece on the board is represented by a letter, apart from the pawns which don’t need one.

K for king

Q for queen

R for rook

B for bishop

N for knight (to avoid confusion with K for king)

Various symbols are used for special moves.

0-0 for castling on the kingside.

0-0-0 for castling on the queenside.

A capture is indicated by ‘x’ A check is indicated by ‘+’.

! means ‘good move’.

!! means ‘exceptional move’.

? means ‘bad move’.

?? means ‘blunder’ (a very bad move indeed).

!? means ‘interesting move’, which may turn out to be good.

?! means ‘dubious move’, which may turn out to be bad.

PIECES AND MOVES

♟ The Pawn

Pawns move one square forward (or, optionally, two on their very first move only). They capture one square diagonally forward. On reaching the end of the board, they are exchanged for another piece of the same colour, i.e. a queen, rook, knight or bishop – but never a king. This is known as ‘pawn promotion’.

The Pawn in Detail

The pawn is the lowest value unit in a game of chess. The name is derived from peón, the Spanish word for foot-soldier. The normal move of a pawn is one square forward. But, when moving for the very first time in the game, it also has the option of advancing two squares.

Pawns capture enemy pieces by moving one square diagonally forward. Think of a foot-soldier, marching into battle against an enemy foot-soldier. They both have shields to protect themselves from frontal blows, so they have to ‘stab’ each other at an oblique angle.

Pawns can never retreat or move sideways. They cannot move diagonally unless they are capturing an opponent’s pawn or piece.

Both players start the game with eight pawns. Generally speaking, they are at their strongest when they can protect each other and at their weakest when they are isolated.

♝ The Bishop

Bishops move as far as they want along an unobstructed diagonal line. They cannot jump over other pieces or change direction in the process of making a move.

The Bishop in Detail

In days of old, the role of the bishop was taken by an ‘elephant.’ But, as this animal was unfamiliar to European eyes, and the role of the clergy was pronounced, the chess piece became the bishop as we know it today. The design of this chess piece is in the form of a mitre – the ceremonial headdress of real-life bishops.

Since bishops can only ever move on diagonal lines, they can never change the colour of the squares on which they operate. Therefore each bishop can only ever visit half of the squares on a chess board. Bishops are long range pieces and work best as a pair, since then they cover all 64 squares of the chess board.

Both players start the game with two bishops; one on the white squares and one on the black squares.

♜ The Rook

Rooks move as far they want along unobstructed straight lines.

The Rook in Detail

The word ‘rook’ is derived from rukh, an Old Persian word for chariot, which was the original name for this piece. However, today, novices often refer to rooks as ‘castles’ due to their turreted appearance. Castles were a very familiar sight to Europeans in the Middle Ages, so the physical appearance of the piece was changed.

Rooks are powerful, long-range pieces. Both players have two rooks and these are placed in the corners of the board at the start of play.