Chess can be traced back about 1,500 years ago in India. It is one of the oldest games known to mankind, and one of the hardest to master! I love board games, but chess is definitely an acquired taste. It’s not my favourite by any means, but this game is so influential, that it would be a crime for me to not include it in my inquiry. Plus there are a lot of people who do not know how to play the game, so I’ll be explaining how to do it!

How to Play Chess

Chess is a 2-player game. Each side has 16 pieces:

  • 8 pawns
  • 2 Rooks (Castle pieces)
  • 2 Knights
  • 2 Bishops
  • 1 Queen
  • 1 King

Directions of each piece goes as follows:

Pawns: May only move forward one square, and in the case of moving out of their initial spot they may move up to 2 squares. In order to hit, they must hit one square diagonal from their spot and then move into the opposite piece’s spot.

Rook: May move once any number of squares forwards, backwards, left, and right. They hit the same way they move, and then replace the opposite piece and move into their square.

Knights: They move 2 spaces forward or backward, and 1 space right or left. They hit the same way they move, and then replace the opposite piece and move into their square.

Bishops: May move whichever way diagonally, but only one way per turn. They hit the same way they move, and then replace the opposite piece and move into their square.

Queen: May move in any direction, however many squares (forward, backward, left, right, or diagonal). They hit the same way they move, and then replace the opposite piece and move into their square.

King: May move in any direction, however, only one space. They hit the same way they move, and then replace the opposite piece and move into their square.

Here is a video on how to play: