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How Do You Play Chess

Chess is a popular and fun-filled strategy game for almost all ages. The game gained fame over centuries and became predominant among scholars and other such intellectuals. However, today, even a layperson can learn to play chess if they know the game well and are aware of all the winning strategies.

Though an ancient game, chess is widespread among different classes of people. Those who like to play it deem it as one of the best games that you can find.

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Over the years, chess has become immensely popular, with technology storming into the game. Today, there are several chess games that you can play on your computer and even on your smartphones and other such smart devices. The game is also available across various operating systems, including Windows, Android, and iOS.

Several people have mastered the game over decades, becoming the best chess player in the world. Such players include Garry Kasparov, Vishwanath Anand, Magnus Carlsen, and others, where Magnus Carlsen is the greatest chess player in history.

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Many women have also earned their places in the game, and have gone on to become the best female chess player in the world. Today, you will find some of the greatest female chess players in the world, including Judith Polgar, Susan Polgar, Ju Wenjun, and more, who have etched their names in history.

How to Play Chess?

Chess has become so famous that many people can play the game at different levels. However, for those who are beginning to play, here’s a guide on how it works. If you want to learn to play chess, then you must first know how to set up the board.

1. The Setup

The game comes with a board full of checkboxes of two different colors, primarily black and white, and 32 pieces. Among the 32 pieces, you will find a King, a Queen, two Bishops, two Knights, two Rooks, and eight Pawns. You must carefully place each piece in its respective positions so that the game goes smoothly.

2. Positioning the Pieces

Every chessboard consists of rows and columns. You call the rows ‘files’ and the columns ‘ranks.’ It is essentially an eight-by-eight board having eight ranks and files each. The ranks have numbers assigned to them up to eight, and the files have letters from ‘a’ to ‘h.’

To begin the game, you must place all the pieces on the board in their respective positions. You can do this by placing the four rooks across the four corners and then the four knights beside them.

Likewise, consecutively place each Bishop beside the Knights, and finally, set the King and Queen next to them. Then, put all the eight pawns in the immediate next row, and you are ready to go.

3. Playing the Game

So, now that you have placed all the pieces in the respective positions, you can start with the game. Note that every chess game begins with the player with the White pieces. Once that player has finished their move, it is time for the player with the black pieces to make theirs. So, in this way, each player takes a turn to move the pieces.

The player moving the White pieces has some leverage over the other player since they get to make the first move. However, if you can control the center of the board early in the game, your chances of winning increase.

Your objective here is to capture each other’s pieces. To do this, you must move your piece to the square where your opponent’s piece is present.

For instance, if you want to capture any of your opponent’s Pawns, you must move your Pawn diagonally to the position where that piece is present. Note that Pawns can only move a space forward.

You can move the Queen, the most powerful piece, in any direction and for as many spaces as you please. The game ends when you capture your opponent’s King.

You can attack your opponent’s King with any pawn if you know how Pawn’s movements work. When you attack the King, you are supposed to say ‘Check.’ The King can escape your attack by moving in a direction away from your piece.

If the King has nowhere to go to escape an attack, it means that you have won. When this happens, don’t forget to quote ‘Check Mate.’

A Few Tips and Tricks

You can use several techniques to win a chess game. Here are some simple tips and tricks that you can use during the game.

1. The ‘En passant.’

The phrase “en passant” means ‘in passing.’ It is a French word used to show the capturing of your opponent’s Pawns after they make their first move. Note that you can only use this technique when your opponent moves their Pawns two spaces forward.

2. Getting a Pawn Across the Board

If you can get a pawn across to the other side of the board, you can convert it into any other attacking piece, including the Rook, Bishop, Knight, and even the Queen.

To better understand how this works, imagine that your Queen, the most powerful piece, has already been captured. You can get back your Queen by moving any of your pawns to your opponent’s side.

3. Castling

‘Castling’ protects your King by shielding it with the help of the other pawns. You can only make this move once during each game. To do this, you must move your King two spaces sideways and place it where you the Rook was earlier. So, technically, you are swapping the positions of the two pieces. However, you cannot use this move if your King has already been in ‘Check’ or if you have already moved it.

4. Be Sure to Protect your Pawns

Pawns are essential pieces in a chess game to help you get your Queen back. So, make sure to save as many pawns as you can. You must think several steps ahead to win the game. It’s also a good idea to use different strategies to protect your pawns and other vital pieces and capture your opponent’s opponent. Similarly, another technique that you could use is to keep a few pawns at the center of the board to attack using other powerful pieces.

Final Thoughts

Chess is a versatile game where you have several moves and strategies. However, make sure that you don’t take your mind off the game at any moment, as you could end up making the wrong moves. Also, be sure to think several steps ahead not to lose many pieces when you get to the end.

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