In order to play the game of chess, a chess piece, also known as a chessman, is placed on a chessboard. It can be one of six different types—king, queen, rook, bishop, knight, or pawn—and it can be either white or black.
Typically, chess sets include sixteen pieces of each color. Extra pieces may be supplied for promotional purposes, typically one extra queen per color.
Character Story Number
Players start with sixteen pieces each. Color designates which pieces belong to which player: pieces with lighter colors are called “white” and the player who controls them is called “White,” while pieces with darker colors are called “black” and the player who controls them is called “Black.”
In a standard game, each of the two players begins with the following sixteen pieces:
- 1 king
- 1 queen
- 2 rooks
- 2 bishops
- 2 knights
- 8 pawns
King
In chess, the king (♔, ♚) is the most significant piece. It can move to any adjacent square and can also execute a special move known as casting when it moves in tandem with the rook. When a king of a player is under danger of being captured, it is said to be in check, and the player’s next move must eliminate the threat of capture. If this isn’t possible, the player loses because the king is considered to be in checkmate. Any move that checks the movement of the player’s own king is forbidden. Nevertheless, in the endgame or, less frequently, the middlegame, the king can develop into a potent offensive piece.
For English speakers, the king is represented by the letter K in algebraic notation. The game begins with the white king on e1, and the black king on e8. A player may only have one king, in contrast to all other pieces, and kings remain on the board the entire time a player is playing.
Placement and movement
From White’s point of view, the white king begins on e1, the first rank to the right of the queen. Starting on e8, the black king is positioned across from the white king. Every king begins on the square across from its own color.
A king can move one square in all directions—horizontally, vertically, and diagonally—until a friendly piece already resides there or the move would put the king in check. The king may capture an undefended enemy piece occupying the square, eliminating it from the game. In order to provide check, opposing kings may never occupy adjacent squares (see opposition), as doing so would also put the moving king in check. Nonetheless, the king can provide a discovered check by freeing a queen, rook, or bishop.
Queen
The strongest piece in the chess set is the queen (♕, ♛). By combining the abilities of the rook and bishop, it can move any number of squares in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal direction. One queen is used by each player to begin the game, and it is placed in the center of the first rank next to the king. Most of the time, a pawn is promoted to a queen because the queen is the strongest piece in the chess set.
The ferz, a weak piece that can only move or capture one step diagonally and originated in the Persian game of Shatranj, is the ancestor of the queen. During Isabella I’s reign in the fifteenth century, the modern queen gained power and influence in Spain; this was likely due in part to Isabella I’s immense political influence.
Placement and movement
On d1, the white queen begins play, and on d8, the black queen begins play. The mnemonics “queen gets her color,” “queen on [her] [own] color,” or “the dress matches the shoes” refer to the fact that, when the chessboard is correctly oriented, the black queen begins on a black square and the white queen begins on a white square.
The moves of the rook and bishop can be combined by moving the queen an unlimited number of unoccupied squares in a straight line vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. By moving to the square where an enemy piece is located, the queen captures the piece.
A pawn can be promoted to any of several types of pieces, including a queen, when it is moved to the player’s furthest rank (the opponent’s first rank), even though both players begin with one queen apiece. A queen created through promotion can serve as a replacement or an extra queen in the event that the player’s queen is captured. Because of a queen’s relative strength, promotion to the queen is by far the most common piece type to which a pawn is promoted.
Rook
The rook (♖, ♜) is a piece used in chess. It can move in any direction, either horizontally or vertically, without having to jump. It can also engage in casting in addition to capturing any enemy pieces that get in its way. With one rook in each corner on their own side of the board, each player has two at the beginning of the game.
The rook was formerly also referred to as the tower, marquess, rector, and comes.The word “castle” is regarded as archaic.
Placement and movement
While the black rooks begin on squares a8 and h8, the white rooks begin on a1 and h1. The rook can travel through any number of empty squares in both horizontal and vertical directions. The rook is unable to hop across pieces. By going to the square where the enemy piece is located and taking it out of play, the rook can capture an enemy piece. In addition, the rook and the king engage in a unique move known as casting, in which the rook is moved to the square that the king crosses after the king has been moved two squares in the direction of the rook.
Bishop
In the game of chess, the bishop (♗, ♝) is a piece. It does not jump over pieces that are in between when it moves and captures along diagonals. Every player has two bishops at the start of the game. For White’s bishops, the starting squares are c1 and f1, and for Black’s bishops, they are c8 and f8.
Placement and movement
The bishop of the queen is on c1 for White and c8 for Black, while the bishop of the king is on f1 for White and f8 for Black.
The bishop can only move diagonally and is not restricted in distance for any given move. It is unable to hop over other parts. By taking over the square occupied by an enemy piece, a bishop can make a capture. Due to its diagonal movement, every bishop consistently stays on a single square color. As a result, a bishop is frequently referred to as a “dark” or “light” squared bishop.
Knight
In the game of chess, the knight (♘, ♞) is a piece that is symbolized by the head and neck of a horse. It jumps over other pieces to move two squares vertically and one square horizontally, or two squares horizontally and one square vertically. With two knights on the b- and g-files, each situated between a rook and a bishop, each player begins the game with two knights.
Placement and movement
The knight can move two squares vertically and one square horizontally, or two squares horizontally and one square vertically, which sets it apart from other chess pieces. As a result, every move a knight makes switches between light and dark squares.The knight can move across pieces and get where it’s going by jumping over them.Knights take the same piece off the board and replace it on the square when they capture. A knight can perform up to eight moves simultaneously. In the beginning position of chess, the only pieces that can be moved are pawns and knights.
Pawn
The most common and weakest piece in chess is the pawn (♙, ♟). It can move one empty square forward directly, two empty squares forward directly on its first move, and one square diagonally forward. With one pawn on each square of their second rank, each player starts the game with eight. Black pawns begin on a7 through h7, while white pawns begin on a2 through h2.
Each pawn is identified by the file that it is currently positioned on. For instance, “White’s f-pawn” or “Black’s b-pawn” are mentioned. An alternative way to refer to them is by the piece that was on that file when the game started, for example, “White’s king bishop’s pawn” or “Black’s queen knight’s pawn.” A pawn on the a- or h-file, a knight’s pawn, a bishop’s pawn, a queen’s pawn, a king’s pawn, or a central pawn are all commonly referred to as rooks.
In the past, the pawn has stood in for troops or infantry, especially armed peasants or pikemen.
Placement and movement
Eight pawns are positioned along each player’s second rank at the start of the game.
A pawn can advance vertically to a vacant square in front of it. A pawn can also advance vertically two squares on its first move, if both squares are empty of material. When moving, the pawn can only move forward, unlike other pieces. The pawn on c4 in the second diagram can go to c5, while the pawn on e2 can go to e3 or e4.