While there are many different ways you can set up your chess board, there is only one “official” way to set up your board. It can also be difficult to undertand and even remember how to set up your chess board.
White At The Bottom
First, remember that white always starts out at the “bottom” of the chess board. To start, the bottom left square should be a dark-colored square. Rotate your chess board until a dark-colored square is found at the bottom left corner of the board (left for the person playing as white). This square is also known as “a1″ in chess notation.
Set Up Your White Chess Pieces
Now you can begin to set up your white pieces. Place a white Rook on a1. The Rook is the piece that looks like the top to a castle. The next square to the right (from the white player’s position) is “b1″. Place a white Knight (looks like a horse) on b1. Going right, the next square (which should be dark) is c1. Place a white Bishop (the piece that has a strange chip taken out of the top) here. On d1, place your white Queen (the piece with the crown), then on e1, place your white King (the piece with the cross on top of the crown). Next, place a white Bishop, then a white Knight and finally your last white Rook on f1, g1 and h1 respectively.
Once you’ve placed your major pieces, you need to place your 8 white pawns (they should all look the same and are the smallest pieces in the set). They should all be placed on the squares between a2 and h2, just in front of your other white pieces.
Set Up Your Black Chess Pieces
Now you can set up your black chess pieces. It is easiest to set it up from the white side. Start at the top left corner. This square should be a light square and it is known as “a8″. Place a black Rook. Your next square to the right is “b8″. Place a black Knight here. Next on c8, place a black Bishop. At this point, it may seem a little backwards, but you should put your black Queen on d8, the next square to the right. On e8, place your black King, followed by your second black Bishop on f8. Next put your last black Knight on g8 and your last black Rook on h8. The pawns for black are all placed on the row in front of your current pieces, between a7 and h7.
Are you new to chess? Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Follow our blog to stay up-to-date in our series of the basics of chess and chess play. We’ll guide you through everything you need to know about chess from the board & pieces all the way to secret tactics and quick checkmates.
The Board
Every standard chess board features 64 squares, 32 in one color (usually white or light) and 32 in another (usually black or dark). In chess, each square is assigned a letter and number value (such as E5). The board is also divided into horizontal rows (called “rank”) and vertical columns (called “files”). Each “rank” is assigned a number 1-8, starting with 1 at the bottom. Each “file” is assigned a letter A-H, starting with A on the left side of the board. A correct game of chess begins with a dark square in the lower left corner and a light square in the lower right corner.
Buying a Chess Board
There are thousands upon thousands of different chess boards available and it can be hard to choose the correct one to buy. Boards come in every material from plastic, vinyl, wood, marble or other materials. Here at Wholesale Chess, we carry a few dozen different boards that all work in a variety of settings.
Ready to buy your first board? Make sure you get the right board! For beginners, we recommend a good vinyl or basic wood board. A Basic Vinyl Chess Board can be an excellent purchase. They are very inexpensive, come in a variety of colors, and are very durable. If you have small children, they are also great because they can handle the rigors and abuse from children. Not only are they durable, but because of their low price, they are easy to replace.
Do you need a great board that travels well? We recommend a vinyl or mouse pad chess board. These boards are specifically designed for tournament play. They roll up and are very easy to carry and transport. They also handle a lot of use very well and are inexpensive to replace. These boards are also quite standard among tournament play. The mouse pad board is different from the vinyl both in texture and finish. The mouse pad board is made from a material similar to what you’d see in a traditional computer mouse pad. The board is thicker, softer and doesn’t wrinkle or warp like the vinyl boards can.
Can’t get enough of chess at home? Get yourself a proper studying board! Many chess enthusiasts will read chess boards or watch videos with a chess board out to help them visualize concepts better. A larger tournament board can make it difficult to study because of it’s size. We recommend an analysis chess board for studying. The board is just 12″ square, making it one of the smallest boards on the market. Our analysis board is made of the basic vinyl material, is quite portable, and stores easily.
Are you ready to buy a high-end chess board? At the upper end, chess boards come in a variety of materials and can range in price from $40 to over $1,000. First, select the type of board you would like. Wood boards are the most common to purchase, but boards can also be available in metal, marble or other stone. High-end chess boards can also come as folding sets with storage, large flat chess boards with storage compartments underneath, or simply large, flat chess boards. Most importantly, purchase a board you really like and one that looks good in your home or office setting.
Folding Chess Boards are excellent high-end boards because they save space and store well. If you’re not looking for a board to display, but still want quality, this is the way to go. Folding chess boards come in a variety of sizes, though usually between 10″ and 20″. Many sets come with chess pieces already, but some sets do require you find and purchase chess pieces on your own. Some folding chess boards also feature compartments inside for holding and storing pieces or other supplies, which some simply fold into themselves.
Storage Chess Boards (sometimes called Cabinet Chess Boards) are excellent for display. They are beautiful boards that feature a compartment inside for storing pieces and supplies. The boards are all quite beautiful and will look great on a corner table or as the center piece on a coffee table. Because these boards are frequently used as displays, it’s best to be careful on wood and finish selections. Make sure you find a finish you love and will look good.
Many of the most beautiful chess boards available are simple, flat boards without storage or folding. Many of these boards are hand-crafted and feature exquisite detail. There are dozens of these boards available in a wide variety of price ranges. As with storage chess boards, be careful which color and finish you choose. It’s all about personal taste and budget.
The noble art of chess has become very popular with parents when it comes to educating their children about the various principles of life. Nowadays, there are many parents who find that the game of chess lends itself ideally to be used as a teaching tool for what they want their kids to learn. Although playing chess encourages a great deal of concentration and interaction, the best part about using chess as a teaching method is that children find it fun to play.
By nature, children are very competitive so playing chess is not something that they will give up on easily. They do not need to be physically strong or exceptionally gifted mentally, they simply need to know how to play the game and play it well. Children love challenges and this characteristic in itself bodes well for their success in the game.
The environment in which chess is played introduces children to a great amount of discipline; they learn how to take on the challenges that life can bring, and how to be gracious losers and magnanimous winners. Another great benefit gained from being exposed to the chess playing environment, is that children also develop social skills and establish creative ways to assist others. Overall, playing chess allows them to practice precious life skills in the early part of their lives, which is perfect for creating strong mental skills for when they get older.
Taking part in a corporate environment, perhaps representing their school or college in competition, also hones life skill qualities that will help them in their later years. Coupling with others will help them nurture a sense of responsibility and a caring spirit. Helping others learn the game also encourages a compassionate spirit and a sense of community in your child.
Another principle that children learn, while playing chess socially, is that children of other genders races and ages, should be treated with mutual respect. They understand that when they are fair and kind to others, it is usually reciprocated. Opposing this, they also discover the negative effects of treating others in the wrong way.
From playing chess, children often learn about the value of hard work. They discover that nothing that is worthwhile in life comes without hard work and that laziness is a big “no-no”. They recognize the value of persistence, never giving up, and cultivate important characteristics needed for success in life.
When it comes to teaching life skills, the game of chess is a wonderful tool to aid you in your parenting efforts. Playing chess will expose your child to new attitudes and abilities that will put them at the forefront in life and give them a solid foundation so that they may share their knowledge with their friends as well as their children and their children’s children. The skills that children learn from playing chess are also the skills that will stand them in good stead when they approach adulthood. It would be hard to think of a board game more useful in this respect than chess.
John Skelly is owner of Quality Chess.net, an online store where you can view a variety of chess products, so you can find that unique set of handcrafted chessmen or that elegant glass chess set. Check out his blog where you can find articles and videos on the latest chess strategies and tactics.
TEACHING BASICS
Chess is such a wonderful thing to learn… and teach! If you are starting a chess club or beginning to work with a child or student then bless you! You are passing on a wonderful gift to them. Make sure you use care, patience and respect while teaching. Additionally, try to be interesting! Use humor, funny voices, cartwheels – whatever it takes to make your students pay attention and have a good time. Below is a very basic chess curriculum recommended by Wholesale Chess that you can use to work with beginners. You can find materials for your lesson preparation in the chess books found in our bookstore!
BASIC BEGINNER CHESS CURRICULUM OUTLINE
1. How the pieces move and how to setup the chess board
2. How to capture chess pieces (its ok to capture the King before you learn checkmate!)
3. Check and checkmate
4. More advanced rules of castling, en passant, and pawn promotion
5. The values of the pieces and making good captures and trades
6. Developing your pieces and controlling the center
7. Using multiple pieces to attack and defend
8. Basic tactics – forks and pins
9. Basic strategies – controlling squares, diagonals, and files
10. Basic opening principles – control key squares, activate your pieces, get your king to safety
Written by Laura Sherman of YourChessCoach.com and Bill Kilpatrick
Chess is taught by starting with the basics and building from there. It has to be done step by step. It is a big mistake to skip ahead too quickly with new strategies or techniques, when the more basic concepts are not well understood by a young chess player.
Teaching “checkmate” is a perfect example.
Coaches quickly learn it’s a big challenge to teach children the concept of checkmate.
We have found that many beginners have trouble checkmating their opponents despite having an overwhelming advantage of pieces on the chess board. So how do you teach this seemingly basic concept?
Break it down! Simplify it! Pull checkmate apart into little pieces that can be learned, one at a time.
The first step is to drill easier concepts with your students. How do you attack a chess piece? When is a piece in danger? How do you trap a piece? There are dozens of such exercises that are needed in order to fully prepare the student to understand and apply the concept of checkmate.
Once they have these components down, they must be able to recognize when the king is in check and understand that concept fully. Quiz them on the number of escape squares the king has. This usually requires a bit of drilling, but there will come a point where the student knows it, really knows it.
Being able to recognize when a student has a concept and is able to move on is also important. The last thing you want to do is rehash something over and over that they already understand. There’s a certain look that a student gets when they fully understand something. Watch for that look, that confident gleam in their eye.
Now they will have an easier time grasping checkmate. Show them many examples. Stick with exercises that are checkmate in one move, starting with extremely easy and basic positions. The more you drill these with your student the faster they will pick up the themes and be able to recognize reoccurring patterns.
Checkmate needs to be drilled regularly and often. The result will be that your students will take advantage of more opportunities on the board and you will have a strong foundation from which to move forward.
Laura Sherman founded Your Chess Coach (YourChessCoach.com) with her husband, Dan Sherman. Together they teach children to play chess through various schools in Pinellas County, Florida, as well as privately in students’ homes and online. Your Chess Coach is devoted to teaching chess to children of all ages, giving them the many life skills that the game offers. Bill Kilpatrick, founder of several professional specialty schools, brings an entrepreneurial spirit to chess coaching. Together they provide consulting around the globe helping improve the ability of coaches, parents and educators to teach chess to children.
If you would like to ask Laura a question about chess, you can ask the question in the comment space below, leave your email, and Laura will respond directly to you – OR – you can always find YourChessCoach on Twitter.
Here’s a great YouTube video of child chess prodigy, Kayden Troff, teaching the basic of chess. You can read all about Kayden in these other Wholesale Chess Blog articles about this young, great chess player.
