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Chess tips: How to set up a chess board

For the purpose of this article, which is an explanation of setting up a chess board, it is assumed that experienced players will already know the set-up, though those who are beginning would not only need to know the set-up of the board, but would also need descriptions of those pieces that make up a chess set. They are not obvious from their proper names, and the article explores in detail what the pieces look like, and how to put them into their correct positions on the chess board ready for that first game.

The board itself.

The board usually comes folded and needs unfolding. If you look at the layout of the board, you will find that the series of squares that make up the game are in rows of eight. Usually, when setting up a board players use each end of the board away from the fold although this is more traditional than obligatory.

The pieces.

You will notice that the pieces come in two separate colors, one color for each player. Sort these out as one set will be set up on one side of the board and one on the other. It's a two player game, and the pieces will be set out on the outer two rows of squares on opposing ends of the board.

Taking a look at one set of pieces, you will notice that each player has 16 pieces ranging in size and design. The smaller of the pieces are called pawns, and these are placed on the second row on each side of the board and are pretty easy to recognize and set into their places.

Now let's look at the other pieces that are left, as some have strange sounding names which may not be obvious at first, but which you soon become accustomed to.

The Rooks (2 of each color)

These look like castles and are often called that out of familiarity with their shape. These get placed on the four corners of the board, together with the pawns that you have already placed and always using the same color at each side of the board.

The Knights. (2 of each color)

Think of knights on charging horses, and you will soon remember which pieces are the knights, although usually represented by a horses head, rather than a knight on a horse. These get placed next to the rooks, and an easy way to remember this is that horses guard castles.

The Bishops. (2 of each color)

The bishops are the only pieces left now where you have two of each color, and these are placed next to the knights.

The King and Queen.

If you look at what you have left, these pieces are usually easily identified, since the King is bigger than the Queen and is the main piece on a chess board. If you look at your layout, you will see that there are two squares left to fill at the middle of the first row, each side of the board. Think of the queen as a homing bird that likes to feel at home on her square. Here, the Queen must sit on a square that is the same color as the Queen herself.

The King takes pride of place in the last square that is left on each side of the board.

When you are new to chess, try the layout several times to get familiar with the pieces and where they go since the game is always played with the same layout worldwide. Now, all that's left is to learn how to play the game, although having mastered the layout, the game is a great one for all levels of ability. Hand in hand with learning the different movements of each piece, you are well on the way to becoming a chess player.

Learn more about this author, Rachelle de Bretagne.
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