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Chess Guide

Master the game one move at a time

What is Chess?

Chess is a strategic board game played between two players, one with the white pieces and one with the black pieces. The goal is to checkmate your opponent's king: put it under attack with no legal escape. It is played on the board of 64 squares of each 32 white and black squares. Mastering this Game can be tough but not impossible!!

Although there is a lot to learn, you can progress quickly by understanding how each piece moves and by writing your games in algebraic notation.

Pieces & Notation

The table below shows the standard abbreviations used in algebraic notation and a short reminder of each piece's role.

Notation Piece Description
K King The most important piece: if it is checkmated, the game is over.
Q Queen The strongest attacker, combining the powers of rook and bishop.
R Rook Controls files and ranks; especially powerful in the endgame.
B Bishop Moves diagonally and works best with pawns on both colours.
N Knight Moves in an “L” shape and can jump over other pieces. When both are developed, opponent gets the "L".
(none) Pawn Moves forward, captures diagonally and can promote on the 8th rank.
Chessboard notation
Example of a chessboard with coordinates. Credit: Ishaan Kodarapu.

Reading the Board

Every square has a unique name, such as e4 or c6. The letter gives the file and the number gives the rank. Together they form the “address” of a square.

Try the mini-quiz below and check your answers.

  1. Which square is in the bottom-right corner from White's view?
  2. On which square does the black queen start?
  3. Where does the white king move in the notation “Kc2”?