Chess piece set up

Proper chess piece set up is crucial if you want to play a fair and honest game. In fact, as most experts will tell you, a large part of winning at chess is forming strategies based on the movement of your pieces long before you even sit down at the board. Understand how each piece moves in combination with the other pieces will help you to determine the best possible game plan for defeating your opponent.

Let’s quickly break down how each piece moves to see why they have their assigned board positions. Pawns are the simplest pieces and can only move on square forward at a time. A row of them sit in front of the more crucial royal characters, which are positioned as far back on the board as possible. Although these are the most disposable pieces, they are often part of a greater plan to move the more powerful back row pieces into striking distance.

Pawns can also revive pieces that have been “taken” if they can reach your opponent’s back row. Most people use them to obtain a second queen. The rook sits in each of your two back corners and resembles a castle tower. These pieces can only move horizontally and vertically across the board. They are great for anchoring attacks. Working inward along the back row is the knight.

These pieces are often the key to many strategies are their moves are somewhat mysterious. They can only move in “L” shapes, allowing them to work their way around defensive pieces. The bishop is next and moves similarly to the rook, except in diagonals. Also like the rook, they are suitable for anchoring attacks. The final two squares, in the middle of the back row are reserved for the King and the Queen. The King is ironically an extremely weak piece and can only move one square at a time.

When setting up the board, the King will sit on the center square that is the opposite color. The opposing army will do the same, with each King sitting across from its polar Queen. They say behind every good man is an even better woman and the game of chess probably captures that better than anything else. The Queen is arguably the most powerful piece on the board. It can move in straight lines in every direction, at any length. While it can do this, it alone cannot win a game of chess. If you want to win, you more than likely will need to learn how to position your pieces effectively.