Chess is a challenging game for even its most thoughtful players. Anyone who wants to achieve victory in chess should be well acquainted with the rules of the game. Furthermore, a player must learn about the various pieces as well as the moves they can make. Developing a strategy and learning to anticipate an opponent's moves combine to make the game of chess an activity filled with challenge as well as fun.

One of the most important things for a beginning chess player to learn is the arrangement of pieces on a chessboard. First, there are a total of 64 white and black squares on a chessboard. One player has white playing pieces while the other has black. Each player has the following pieces: eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, a king, and a queen. The game begins with a rook on each of the four corners of the chessboard. A knight stands next to each rook and the bishops stand beside the knights. The king and queen pieces are positioned next to each other in the middle of row. It is important to add that a queen piece sits on her corresponding color. Eight pawns stand in front of that line of pieces. The first move in a chess game begins with the player who has the white pieces.

A chess player should be aware of all the possible movements of the various pieces. For instance, bishops move over the chessboard in a diagonal fashion whereas rooks are allowed to travel upward or downward. Neither the bishop or the the rook can jump over other pieces on the board. After its starting move of two spaces, a pawn can be moved by a player one square at a time in a forward direction. If there is piece sitting in the square ahead of a pawn, it is not able to move. Alternatively, a knight is able to jump over other pieces on the board with its L-style movement across three squares. A queen and king can move in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal way. It is vital that each player protect his or her king throughout the game.

There are some special moves in the game of chess including one referred to as castling. In a castling move, the king travels two squares in the direction of a rook and in turn, the rook travels over the king to its other side. A player must keep in mind that if the rook or king has previously been moved, castling is not an option. Another special move is called the en passant. In this situation, a pawn travels from the second to the fourth row of squares, which sets up a scenario for a nearby pawn to be taken.

In order to declare victory in a game of chess a player must claim his or her opponent's king. This is referred to as checkmate. In short, a player's king has been left undefended and vulnerable for capture. When a king is in check, it's facing the imminent possibility of capture by an opponent. Fortunately, if a king is in check there are a few ways to save it. For example, the piece that is threatening the king can be taken out by another piece. In addition, it's possible to move another piece in to guard the safety of the king. Another option is for a player to move his or her king out of the threatened position. In the end if there is a checkmate, the king is captured, and the chess game is finished.

It can take many years of practice and strategy development to become an accomplished chess player. For anyone with a great deal of patience and focus, chess is an enjoyable game to share with a friend.

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