Chess is a strategic board game played between two players. Here are the basic rules and steps for how to play chess:
Set up the board
Place the board between the two players so that each player has a light-colored square in the bottom-right corner. Place the pieces in their starting positions: rooks on the corners, knights next to them, bishops next to the knights, the queen on her own color, and the king on the remaining square.
Learn the moves of the pieces
Each piece has a specific way of moving. The king can move one square in any direction, the queen can move diagonally, horizontally, or vertically, the rooks move horizontally or vertically, the bishops move diagonally, and the knights move in an L-shape.
Understand the goal of the game
The goal of the game is to checkmate the opponent’s king, which means putting the king into a position where it is under attack and cannot escape capture.
Take turns moving
The player with the white pieces goes first, and then players take turns moving one piece at a time. If a player puts the opponent’s king in a position where it is under attack, the opponent must get out of check on the next move.
Capture pieces
If a piece is moved to a square occupied by an opponent’s piece, the opponent’s piece is captured and removed from the board.
Use special moves
There are two special moves in chess: castling and en passant. Castling allows the king to move two squares towards a rook and the rook to move to the square over which the king crossed. En passant can be used to capture an opponent’s pawn that has advanced two squares from its starting position and is next to your pawn.
End the game
The game ends when a player checkmates their opponent’s king, resigns, or the game is declared a draw.
Remember that chess is a complex game that requires practice and strategy. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t win right away, and keep playing to improve your skills.