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Introduction

Ok, so we now know what the basic idea behind the game is and how to record games and know where pieces are moving. There's only one more thing to do before we actually start learning how to play. I know these parts are pretty boring and you're probably wondering why you're still reading this, but unfortunately you wouldn't really know what was happening if you didn't know how the pieces looked or how to record games. So, here we go. Here's what each of the pieces look like and a little bit about them.

The Head Hauncho: The King

The king is the big guy. If you take this guy off the board by capturing him, you win the game so keep him protected! Capturing is described later on so don't worry about it right now. But, by the rules of chess, your opponent is not aloud to give you his king, it is an illegal move if a king moves to a place where on the next move you could capture him, so instead you must win by something known as checkmate which is described later. How the king moves will be described in the next section.

The king is very easy to distinguish from the other pieces, simply look for the piece which has a cross on the top of his hat. Also, because it is the most important piece, you'll find that it is also the tallest. There should be two of them that you can find, one that is a very dark colour, usually black, and the other a light colour, usually white. Look now to see if you can find both of them. Now look at the diagram below. This is what the king will look like in the diagrams that are at this site. It also looks the same as in nearly all chess literature that you may happen to read. There are four kings below to show what each colour will look like on each colour square. Note that the diagram version of the king only shows his hat.

The Rook: Don't Call it a Castle

The rook is the piece that looks like a tower or castle. It usually has four points on its top, depending on the type of set. You'll find four of them in your set. Two black (I will now refer to the two sides as white and black, their proper names, whatever their colour), and two white. Look for them now to see what they look like. Remember that they look like a castle. Below is what they will look like in most diagrams that you will look at. There are four, showing what they will look like on each of the different squares.

The Knight: I Thought it Was a Horse

The knight is also a very easy one to determine as well as to describe. The knight looks like a horse. It is the most complicated piece on the board in the way that it looks, as well as the way it moves (described later). You will find four knights in a chess set, two white, two black. Look for them now.

Were you able to find all four? Here's a picture to show what each of the knights look like on each colour square:

The Bishop: Just Call it a Bishop, Ok?

The Bishop has had many names over the years while the game was passed on from culture to culture. It has been known as the Fil which, translated to english means elephant, an Alfiere, or standard bearer and a Laufer, a German word meaning runner. The bishop finally received its name when the people of England thought that it fit well into the royal court as all the other pieces do: the king, the queen, and of course, the church, go hand in hand, hence, the name.

The bishop doesn't really look like anything, but it does have a pointy hat which has been its trademark for quite a long time. On one side you will find a slit in the hat. There are also four bishops in a chess set. See if you can find the two of each colour. In diagrams, they will look as they do below.

The Queen: The Only Lady on the Board

The queen is the only lady on the board. She looks, well, like a queen. She has a "multi-pointed" hat which goes in a circle, which rwsembles a crown, as all queens wear. She is also the second tallest piece, only shorter than the king. There are only 2 of them on the board so don't go hunting for the two pieces you're missing. :-) The diagram below shows what each queen looks like on each colour square.

The Pawn: Not Even Good Enough to be Called a Piece

The literal translation of the word pawn is peasant. It serves mostly as protection to its other pieces; It never really takes part in an actual fight (although the exception is a pawn storm which we'll discuss in the sections to come), but rather aids the pieces attacking. But don't underestimate this little guy, as once said by Andre Philidor, former world champion, "Pawns are the soul of the game". However, in most places, the pawn is not even considered a piece. Poor guy!

The pawn is the shortest "piece" on the board and doesn't even really have a hat, just a circular "knob". There are sixteen of these in a full chess set, eight white, eight black. Check to make sure that you have them all.

The diagram below shows how pawns look in diagrams on each of the different colours.

Well, that's that. You now know what the pieces look like. So, when I say that a piece moves in whatever way, you're going to know what I'm talking about. :-) Let's get to the fun stuff now. Move on to how to set up the board.

This page was last updated on: Saturday, March 14, 1998.

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