Chess Board 

Chess Board Setup Explained

Chess is played on a board known as a chessboard. The chess pieces are arranged on its 64 squares, which are 8 rows by 8 columns, in rows and columns. It has a square form and is checked with squares in two different colours, one bright and one dark. The board is set up during play to ensure that both playersa right edge tile is a light square. On a chessboard, the rows and columns are known as ranks and the diagonals, which connect adjacent squares of the same colour on opposite sides of the board, are known as files. Chess notation may be either algebraic, descriptive, or numerical; algebraic notation is the FIDE standard. Each square on the board is given a name.

Every square is designated by the file and rank that it occupies in algebraic notation, which uses White's viewpoint. Files are named a through h from left to right, while ranks are labelled 1 through 8 from bottom to top. The kingside is made up of the e- through h-files, whereas the queenside is made up of the a- through d-files.

History And Evolution of Chess Boards

The Ashtpada board is the oldest known precursor of the chessboard. From about the 6th century in India, it was used to play a variety of games, including chaturanga, a historical forerunner of chess. The board is split into eight columns by eight rows and has a single colour for each square. The castle-shaped marked squares are placed in the corners of each quadrant. Castles in Chaturanga have no purpose, in contrast to Ashtpada. With the introduction of chess to Europe in the 10th century, the chessboard developed its contemporary chequered design. This design was modelled on the 5-by-5 draughts board of the time.  Since each diagonal was now marked by a continuous line of squares with the same colour as it, the 15th century saw the creation of the modern bishop and queen moves.

In the Libro de Los Juegos (1283), a depiction of the chessboard is given. Eight rows and columns are described as the perfect number, with the 10 by 10 and the 6 by 6 boards being too rapid and monotonous, respectively.

Some players started following the practice in the 13th century that the first square in the far-right hand column ought to be bright in colour; Pedro Damiano later approved of this standard. In a set of four games played in a virtual environment in 2003, former world champion Garry Kasparov competed against the computer-generated chess engine X3D Fritz while using special glasses.

The computer-generated board floated in the air in front of Kasparov. It was the first chess match between a man and a machine that took place entirely in a computer simulation.

How Chess Pieces Move on Chess Board

The beauty of chess is that it is simple to learn yet challenging to master. The simple rules and seemingly limitless possibilities of this timeless game have attracted players from all walks of life for ages. You'll discover how the pieces move in the first post of a series on how to play the royal game. The king, the most significant chess piece, will be our first move.

The King's Movements: The king, designated by a crown carrying a cross, is free to move one square in any direction. It may travel in any directiona horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. The only squares your king cannot go to are those that are already occupied by one of your other pieces or pawns. They cannot enter the same square as another, and this is true of all of your pieces and pawns. But they can "capture" the squares where your rival's pieces are located. Simply swap out the enemy piece with your own and take it off the board to capture it. Additionally, your king cannot be placed on a tile where one of your opponent's pieces or pawns may capture it. Although it's generally not a smart idea, you may opt to let any of your pieces or pawns be taken, but it's against the law to let your king be captured according to chess regulations.

The Queen's Movements: The queen, the king's devoted partner, comes next. The queen may move any number of squares in any direction, diagonally, horizontally, or vertically, unlike her slothful husband. She is now by far the most potent tool you have at your disposal. Keep in mind that no chess piece, even the queen, may split its motion. In other words, the queen cannot be moved two squares forward and then four squares to the left in the same round. Per turn, you can only travel in one direction.

The Rook's Movement: The rook is up next. The rook, which resembles a castle tower, is another strong piece. It has the capacity to zoom in and out of any number of squares on the board, both horizontally and vertically. One of the two pieces used in casting is the rook.

The Bishop's Movement: The bishop is a further component that has infinite square-moving potential. The bishop may go down and up the chess board's diagonals with the help of its tall hat, which is often decorated with a cross. But there is one peculiar thing about the bishop. It cannot migrate to squares of a different hue since it can only move in diagonal directions. In other words, if your bishop starts on a bright square, it will always remain there, and if it starts on a dark square, it will always remain there! As a result, in a game of chess, having two bishops who can collectively cover all the squares is a significant advantage.

The Knight's Movement: The knight is up next. The knight on the chessboard, which resembles a horse, is a peculiar character. It can move in a manner that no other chess piece, not even the queen, can, for starters. The knight travels in the form of an "L," either moving two spaces vertically and one space horizontally, or vice versa. The knight's unique ability to leap over other pieces is its second peculiar quality. The knight cannot be blockaded by its friends or the opponents' pieces and pawns, although every other pawn and piece can. The knight is free to move to any square as long as no other pieces or pawns are on it.

Pawns' Movement: Knowing how the pieces move now allows us to move on to the pawns. Despite having the most intricate regulations, these tiny fellows are really rather simple. Pawns can only advance one space unless it's their first move, in which case they may advance two squares. Another crucial aspect of the game is that the only piece of your army that can travel backwards is a pawn. Every time you shift a piece, you make a decision that cannot be changed later. Pawns may change forms as well. A pawn may be transformed into any piece other than the king after it has been moved all the way to the opposite side of the board. Yes, if you'd like, you can even have a second queen. Because of this, it may come as no surprise that a typical tactic is to move a pawn to the opposite side of the board while preventing your adversary from doing the same.

But perhaps the most peculiar aspect of pawns would be how they seize other pieces. In most cases, capturing an opponent's piece involves simply moving your own piece to the square where the opponent's piece is located and taking it over. The only direction in which pawns may move is diagonal. To summarise, pawns are limited to one forward movement (or two on the opening move) and may only take pieces diagonally. So what occurs when a pawn comes face to face with another pawn or piece? Nothing. They just butt heads, unable of moving forward. A pawn cannot be captured by a piece moving forward, although a piece can. As a result, when two pawns come into contact with one another, they lock up.

Types Of Chess Board

Some different types of a chess board that you can find are: 

• Silicone Chess Boards.
• Full-Colour Vinyl Chess Boards.
• Vinyl Chess Boards.
• Custom Printed Chess Boards.
• Straight Up Chess Boards.
• Electronic Chess Computers.
• Luxury Wood Chess Boards.
• Wood Chess Boards.
  
  

FAQs: Chess Board

Q: Why is a chessboard 8A 8?

Ans: 36 squares might be too crowded and impossible for 32 pieces to move around the board entirely; 49 squares would still be too crowded; 64 squares is just correct and are the ideal 8-square configuration.

Q: Does each square on a chessboard have a name?

Ans: An alphanumeric name or coordinate is assigned to each square on a chessboard.

Q: What is the cost of chess boards?

Ans: Chess boards can come as cheap as rupees 100 if you are looking for plastic ones, and increase in price with better material and quality such as wood and metal. 

Q: How many squares are there on a chessboard?

Ans: There are 64 squares on a chessboard.