by Mark Askeda

Created on: September 18, 2009   Last Updated: September 23, 2009

Chess is a complicated game of strategy played on a 64 square board with alternating black and white squares. The game was originally developed in 6th Century India and its current form was developed in 14th Century Europe. Two players begin with 16 pieces each and battle for supremacy of the board. The goal of the game is to capture your opponent's king. Capturing your opponent's king ends the game with a victory.

Each opponent starts with 16 pieces of different types and quantities. The rooks and the queen are sometimes referred to as the major pieces while the bishops and knights are minor pieces. The pieces have different strengths, weaknesses and values. Following is a brief summary of the pieces.

Pawns: The eight pawns are the weakest piece on the board and represent the foot soldier. Their move is somewhat complicated. The pawn moves one square forward, except on its first move, when the player has the option to move the pawn two squares. Any subsequent move can only be one square at a time. The pawn cannot capture any piece directly ahead of it and is easily trapped. It only captures pieces that are one square ahead and one square to the right or left. The pawn also has a very unique feature. If the pawn progresses to the final row, it can be promoted to any other piece on the board. Most players will promote the pawn to a queen. On a simple point system, chess experts rate the pawn as one point. All other pieces are then rated relative to the pawn.

Knight: The players start with two knights. The knight is a unique piece in that it is the only piece that can jump over other pieces. The knight moves two squares in a straight line and then one square at a 90 degree angle. Simply, the knight's move is L shaped. Chess experts rate the knight at 2.7 to 3.0 points. This means that the knight is worth approximately 3 pawns.

Bishop: Each player starts with two bishops. The bishop moves only diagonally. It is the only piece that remains on one color square for the duration of the game. The player starts with two bishops, one on the white squares and one on the black squares. Experts generally rate the bishop at 3.0 to 3.3 points, or slightly more than the value of a knight.

Rook: The players start with two rooks, placed in the corner squares of the board. The rook (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a castle) is a powerful piece that moves in straight lines, either vertically or horizontally. A unique feature to the rook is the ability to make a move

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