A history of several thousand years has not affected the popularity of chess. Just like many centuries ago, in our time, intellectuals and those who like to train their minds sit down at the chessboard to plunge into the world of exciting combinations, unexpected moves, and successful solutions. Mastering this difficult interesting game requires time and concentration. But the result is worth such efforts. Chess will captivate you with its unlimited possibilities and give you a lot of bright emotions. Psychologists say that people who are addicted to this ancient game They set realistic, achievable plans in life and quickly make the right decisions.

The first step into the world of chess is to master the rules for placing pieces on the board. If you decide to make this game your hobby, develop math skills, this article will help you understand the procedure for preparing for the upcoming game.

Arrangement - video

Chessboard - battlefield and coordinates

The chessboard has the shape of a regular square, each side consists of 8 squares. Chess players call them fields. Unlike checkers, all squares, 32 black and 32 white, are used in the game. There are several rules for arranging pieces before the game:

• the board is set up so that each partner on the far right has a white square;
• black and white opponents' pieces are positioned symmetrically;
• in the initial position the figures occupy the first 2 rows.

Each field of the board has a personal address, allowing you to record moves during the game. To determine the individual data of a cell, there are letters and numbers on the sides of the board. Letters from a to h are written horizontally, numbers from 1 to 8 are written vertically. The address is indicated as follows: a8, g6, c5, etc. According to the chess rules, for the placement of white pieces before the game, horizontal lines are allocated 1-2, for black ones 7- 8.

Location on the board

In the initial arrangement of figures on chessboard Rules are strictly followed, providing for each unit a specific place. Later in the game they will move all over the board, but before playing they must be in a specific position. It is not difficult to remember the dislocation; it is enough to independently arrange the pieces on the board 2-3 times. For beginners, the most convenient installation order is:

• place rooks on the outermost black and white cells;
• horses are located near them;
• elephants are installed next;
• the king and queen are placed last;
• The pawns are placed on the next rank in a row in front of the main pieces.

Each set contains 2 rooks, a knight, and a bishop. These figures occupy a white and black square diagonally. Compliance with the rules will ensure that the moves are made correctly. After installing all the pieces, you can start playing. You can see what it looks like in the picture below.

Starting position, how to correctly place chess on the board (photo):

The meaning of the figures, their “cost”

During the battle, the player has to sacrifice pieces in order to complete the assigned tasks. Battle participants have different values. It must be taken into account when making a decision. To do this, you need to remember the meaning, the “cost” of each figure:

• the king is an invaluable figure, the game cannot be continued without him;
• the queen has the most high price, he can perform the functions of 9 pawns;
• the cost of knights and bishops is 3 pawns;
• Pawns are considered soldiers and perform minor tasks.

Each figure has certain differences. Sometimes in gift options they have an unconventional appearance. But it is still possible to distinguish a bishop, knight, rook or queen.

Designations of chess pieces

In the process of learning chess, a beginner will have to start studying chess games. Later you will want to record your parts. In order to “read” games, moves, and correctly record the progress of the battle, you need to remember the designation of the pieces in the Russian and English versions:

• king – Kr (K-king);
• queen – F (Q – queen);
• elephants – C (B – bishop);
• rooks – L (R – rook);
• horses – K (N – kNight);
• pawns – p (p – pawn).

Pawns may not be marked. In addition to letters, symbols are used for chess pieces. They are necessary to depict the arrangement of units on the board in manuals and books. The rules for notating pieces are called chess notation, which every beginning player needs to learn.

The rules for placing pieces are the first step for every beginning chess player. You need to study all the nuances before studying the methods of moving units and the general principles of the game. There are several recommendations from experienced chess players that will be useful to every beginner; they will help you quickly learn the secrets of the game and avoid mistakes:

• when installing the board, you need to remember that the far right position should be occupied by a white square;
• you can place the main pieces in any order, the queen must occupy a square of its color;
• at the preparation stage, you should carefully study the value of each piece in order to avoid unjustified losses;
• You definitely need to remember the designation of the pieces, symbolism, the rules for determining the address of the field for studying literature, and correctly recording moves.

One of the attractive qualities of this game is the unlimited possibilities in choosing tactics, strategy, and the ability to develop your own combinations. However, at first you should not rely on your mathematical abilities. At first glance, chess may seem like a simple game due to its specific rules. However, every beginner quickly becomes convinced that this game is highly complex.

Beginning chess players need to take the time to study literature, which contains recommendations on tactics and strategy, and examines traditional games in detail. This will allow you to quickly understand the features of the game. A beginner who has carefully studied the famous openings is unlikely to make a mistake and will receive a simple checkmate in three moves. Later, skill will come, and your own options and combinations will begin to be developed that will help baffle even an experienced master.

To understand what the word means chess , let's look at the name of another game played on the same field - checkers .

In both cases we see the same root Shah- /shash- . And the word checkers does not have an intelligible etymology, the maximum that linguists could “give birth” in this case was to produce checkers from chess . Well, at least now there is no longer any need to prove the relationship between these two words. And thanks for that.

checkers - This baby steps (from step ), formed identically to the name of the game burners (from burn ). This is exactly what the figures do in checkers and in chess - They walking !

Shah- V chess - This step.

Skt. bhaggii "step, path, journey" (cf. Steps and the meaning of *vyat., *kamch. chess "trace, rut, roll").

The root of the second part of the word chess (mat- ) has been discussed in detail . It has many meanings in different languages, such as "border, boundary, mediator, thought", but is generalized as "to connect". notice, that thought cover, generalize, logically connect.

Skt. maati "to think" (cf. wisdom ), mata "thoughts", unmaatha "trap" (cf. catch , fuck , have )

wisely , clever = cunning (cf. meaning of words want , grab , hunt , be cunning , cunning And catch , have , split hairs , wisdom )

Thus, chess , given their "Indian origins" - this bhaggii- maati "thoughtful steps", or, which is the same in Russian steps-wise , which is the same as “strategy”.

queen

Initially, chess had only four pawns and four pieces (four ranks), i.e. exactly half of all figures in the modern version of the game. From here it is quite obvious that the main figure was one or more king or queen.

Compare queen and blr. firsts "first" (which is equivalent to "leader"), Skt. Purusha "first man" purastaat "first", puurva "first", pers. ferz "commander", English. first "first", Russian finger ("one like a finger")

queen = feather = finger = first - "first, main"

The queen is the most mobile figure, which is what he deserves as a commander.

German turm "tower; rook chess.", Spanish, It. torre "tower; rook", French, Breton. tour "tower; rook", lt. tornis "tower, rook", Danish. tårn "tower", Croatian tvrđava "fortress", Russian tower , jail , stronghold , tour .

It goes well with the fact that the root okay- , associated with words get along "to do, to build" palm . That. rook - this is first of all, not specific boat , but the fact that worked it out "did", i.e. like tour - "building".

The rook moves only in a straight line across the entire board and in all directions - like the defenders of a fortress along its perimeter.

Castling - “a simultaneous move with the king and the rook, in which the rook is moved towards the king and placed on the square adjacent to it, and the king is transferred over the rook and placed next to it, on its other side”- This is an image of the king fleeing behind the fortress wall.

horse

Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian horse , Bulgarian con , English knight "chess horse.", Spanish. caballo "knight checks.", etc. cavallo "chess horse.", fr. cavalier "chess horse." - all words are somehow connected with horse , or rather with horseman - a rider. Apparently, the meaning of this figure is still understood in its original meaning.

Word horse , one way or another connected with words drive , catching up , chase , rut , i.e. horse - This drive - what you can use drive .

Hence, the jumps in chess are completely natural. horse (cf. horse), and the fact that he walks in the letter “G” ( horse-race ).

elephant

Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian elephant , German Laufer "runner, elephant checkerboard.", English. bishop "bishop, elephant chess.", Spanish. alfil "bishop, elephant chess.", it. alfiere "standard bearer, elephant checker."

Pay attention to the second meanings of the words, and to the fact that nowhere, except for the Russian language, is there even a hint of a living elephant . Then what does the name mean? elephant ?

Compare:

Nem Laufen "walk, pass" Lauf "running" and Laufer chess. "elephant";
Spanish alfil "omen", etc. alfiere "standard bearer", Basque alter "lazy" and Spanish alfil "elephant checkerboard.", etc. alfiere "elephant checkerboard.";
tour. väzīr "vizier", German. Visier "sight, sight", Russian. I see and English bishop "bishop", which is believed to be derived from Lat. episcopus "observer";

Kolobrodit , wander around, walk around and around; hang around, loiter, wander around idle; wander restlessly from corner to corner, to the detriment of others...

Russian, blr. pawn , Ukrainian pishak , Croatian pješak

pawn same as chip , same as checker - on foot, infantry

Name of the figure in other languages:

German Bauer , Swedish bond , English pawn , Spanish peon , French, Polish, Hungarian pion , Greek πιόνι , tour piyon , it. pedone , Taj. fuck

Compare with Russian. heel , heel , sole , bots , ltsh. pēda "foot", English foot "foot", iron. fad "foot", Swedish fot "foot", fr. pied "foot", it. piede "sole".

It. pedone not only a "pawn", but also a "pedestrian"

The pawn moves only forward, and only one square (except for the first attack), because this is infantry.

stalemate, checkmate

stalemate "a hopeless situation" (cf. the semantics of the number five )

Shah "attack on the king" (cf. English) shake "shock. shock, fear" shock "blow, push", Russian. zzhah! ,gasp , shove )

mat "in chess, a situation when the king is in check, and the player cannot make a single move to avoid it. Means the loss of the side in such a situation".

Word " mat " comes from the Persian phrase "checkmate", meaning that the king (checkmate) is helpless, paralyzed, blocked, defeated (these are the meanings of the Persian word "checkmate"). The translation of the phrase “checkmate” is also known as “checkmate is dead” (from the Arabic “checkmate” - dead), but the Persians began to use this term in the game earlier than the Arabs.

There are six different (types or names) of chess.figures - king, queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawn. Chess is played by two opponents; one plays with white pieces, the other with black pieces. Each player has 16 pieces - one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. Each of these pieces moves on the chessboard in its own way.

Descriptions of the figures:

King

Moves one square in any direction. In addition, he can participate in castling. The most important piece, since the inability to protect the king from an enemy attack (this situation is called “checkmate”) means losing the game. In a set of chess pieces, the king is usually the tallest piece, or one of the two tallest pieces (the second is the queen).

Queen

Moves to any number of squares vertically, horizontally or diagonally (combines the moves of a rook and a bishop). IN general case, the most powerful piece on the chessboard. Initially (in the old Arab shatranj) the queen moved only one square diagonally; His transformation into the most powerful figure already occurred in European chess. In modern chess theory, the queen is one of the “heavy pieces”, along with the rook. The appearance of the piece in traditional "Stauntonian" chess is similar to the king, but the piece is topped with a small ball and is usually somewhat lower, unlike the king, which is usually taller than the queen and topped with a cross.

Rook

Moves to any number of fields vertically or horizontally. Can participate in castling. The player begins the game with two rooks standing on the outer squares of the first rank. Like the queen, it is theoretically classified as a “heavy piece.” The figure usually looks like a stylized round fortress tower (which corresponds to its European name, with different languages translated precisely as “fortress tower”). In old Russian chess sets it looked like a stylized ship (rook). According to some assumptions, the various names of this figure are related to its original name and appearance. In chaturanga it was called “chariot”, that is, “rath”. In Arabic Shatranj the name became "Ruh" (meaning a mythical bird). Its stylized images, according to chess historians, in Rus' were mistaken for images of a visually similar Russian rook, which is why Russian name figures. In Europe, the image of the figure was associated with a name consonant with “rook” (cliff, tower), as a result, the corresponding European chess piece began to be depicted in the form of a fortress tower.

Elephant

Moves to any number of fields along diagonals. In chaturanga and shatranja, he walked across one field diagonally, being, like a horse, a “jumping” piece (while moving, he stepped over his own and other people’s pieces standing in the way). At the beginning of the game, the player has two bishops - a light-squared and a dark-squared. Due to the geometry of the chessboard, bishops move only along the diagonals of their color. Belongs to the class of “minor pieces”, along with the knight. The piece is usually lower than the king and queen, top part has the shape of a drop (or hood) with a point up, is a stylization of the attire of Catholic and Protestant priests, which corresponds to the English name “bishop” - “bishop”.

Horse

It moves in the Russian letter "G" (or the letter "L") - first on two fields vertically or horizontally, then on another field horizontally or vertically perpendicular to the original direction. The only piece in modern chess that does not move in a straight line and is “jumping” - it can “jump” over its own and enemy pieces. One of two pieces (the second is the king), the move of which has not changed since chaturanga. At the beginning of the game, each player has two knights, standing on the second to the left and to the right of the fields of the first horizontal line from him. Refers to “light pieces”. The figure looks like a horse's head on a stand. The English name "knight" is knight.

Pawn

Moves one field vertically forward. From the starting position, he can make one move two fields forward. Hit one field diagonally forward. When making a move on two squares, the next move can be captured on the pass by the opponent’s pawn (the so-called capture of “enpassan”). The only piece in chess whose quiet move and capture move are different. Each player has eight pawns in a set of pieces; in the initial position, the pawns stand on the second horizontal line from the player, covering the pieces. If during the game the pawn reaches the last rank, then it turns into any piece the player wishes, except the king. With rare exceptions, a pawn is usually promoted to a queen. The figure is the smallest of all in the set. Despite their weakness, pawns are very important in a chess game, as they often form the basis of a player’s defensive structure, being both “filler” of the field and “cannon fodder.” In the endgame, the role of pawns increases many times over, usually due to the fact that some of them are so-called “passed pawns”, potentially capable of reaching the last rank and becoming a piece.

Classification

The figures are divided into:

1. Light pieces - knight and bishop.
2. Heavy pieces - rook and queen.
3. The king, due to its special role in the game, is neither a light nor a heavy piece.
4. The pawn, like the king, is neither a light nor a heavy piece.

There is ambiguity in the terminology: in a narrow sense, all chess pieces except pawns are called pieces. Usually the word “piece” in a commentary on a chess game is used in this sense, for example, an expression like “loss of a piece” means the loss of a light or heavy piece, but not a pawn.

Comparative strength of figures

The problem of the comparative strength and value of certain groups of pieces constantly arises in chess games when there is a question of exchange. In chess theory, the strength of pieces is usually measured in pawns. The following approximate ratios are generally accepted:

It should be taken into account that the above ratios are not at all sufficient for an objective assessment of certain actions in a particular party. The game adds numerous additional considerations to these. The comparative value of pieces can be influenced by the type of position being played, the stage of the game at which the exchange is made, and the position of specific pieces. Thus, almost any piece in the center of the board has more squares under attack than on the side and, especially, in the corner, so exchanging your corner piece for an equivalent central piece of the opponent can be profitable. The knight and bishop are formally considered to be of equal value, but in practice their comparative value very much depends on the situation. Two bishops are almost always stronger than two knights. A bishop is stronger than a knight in a game against pawns, and a bishop and pawns are stronger in a game against an enemy rook than a knight and the same number of pawns. A bishop and rook are usually stronger than a knight and a rook, but a queen and knight are often stronger than a queen and bishop. Two bishops can checkmate a lone king, but two knights cannot. In chess, the actions of long-range pieces are almost always limited by other pieces, while the knight can jump over them. It is impossible to protect yourself from a knight's check - you must either retreat with the king or take the knight.

Chaturanga is the first name of the game now known as chess. The game was invented in Ancient India. 4 people could play at the same time, moves were made alternately, and their number was determined by throwing dice. The goal of Chaturanga was to destroy the enemy's "troops", which consisted of infantry, elephants and horses.

The game began to quickly spread throughout the world. In the eighth century, it became very popular in Arab countries, where it received a new name - shatranj. The game has undergone many changes. So, to win, it was necessary not to beat all the opponent’s chess pieces, but to checkmate. The number of players has been halved.

Spain became the first country in Europe where chess appeared. It was in Spain that the game acquired the appearance and rules that are still used today.

Chess tournaments are considered very popular and prestigious competitions. The winners of such tournaments gain worldwide fame.

Figure design

Throughout the history of chess, the pieces have been depicted in the form of characters in the game. The rook was depicted in the form of a tower, and the bishop - in the form of a man dressed as a priest, because in England this figure is called “bishop”, that is, bishop. The king and queen were also depicted as people dressed in appropriate costumes.

Many play sets were made to order and were very expensive. Chess pieces were often made from expensive materials, and every smallest detail was of high quality. Mass-produced kits were cheaper, and the figures were simplified. The main task of the masters was only to create figures that could be easily distinguished from each other.

Names of figures

The rules of chess changed several times, but the pieces remained the same. In total, you can see 32 chess pieces on the board. Names of some of them in countries former USSR differ from the names of figures in the West and in Asian countries.

All of them are divided into 6 ranks. The most important figure is the king. There is only one, and it must be taken care of. Queen (queen) is another heroine that is also only available in one copy on the board. This is the most powerful piece at the player's disposal.

Besides the king and queen, there are 8 pawns, 2 bishops (officers), 2 knights and 2 rounds (rooks) on the board. Each figure has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Horse

The knight chess piece is the only one that has quite original way movement. He moves one square vertically or horizontally, and then another one square diagonally in the same direction. In other words, the knight moves in an “L” shape in any direction. Thus, the knight always moves from a black square to a white one and vice versa. At the same time, he is able to jump over all the pieces - both his own and others.

A knight can control no more than eight squares at a time. It depends on where on the chessboard it is located. He is also capable of capturing an enemy piece if it is on a square controlled by a knight.

Knight, queen, rook - three chess pieces that can move across all squares of the chessboard. There is even a task, the essence of which is to go through the entire field, visiting each square only once.

Rook and Bishop

Rook to his appearance resembles a tower. There are two rooks located on the right and left edges of the chessboard. The rook can move to one or several squares vertically and horizontally. At the same time, there should be no other figures in her path. If the rook's movement is impeded by an opponent's piece, then it can capture it and stand on its square, but it cannot jump over the piece. Rook is somewhat different from all the others. Its difference is that on an empty board the rook can move the same number of squares, no matter where it stands.

The Bishop is a chess piece that moves diagonally of its color on one or several squares at once. At the beginning of the game, one bishop is located between the queen and the knight, and the second is between the knight and the king. Like the rook, the bishop cannot jump over either its own pieces or the opponent's pieces, but it can capture them and occupy their square.

On an empty board, the bishop can move different quantities cells. It depends on its location. If it stands in the center of the board, it can move the same number of squares as the rook.

King and queen

The king and queen are the two most important chess pieces. The names speak for themselves. They are located next to each other between two elephants. Besides the fact that the king is the most important figure, it has several features compared to other figures. The king can only move to the nearest square in one move. At the same time, he cannot occupy a cell that is under attack by any enemy piece. This feature means that the king cannot be beaten. He is able to control 8 cells simultaneously.

The queen chess piece can move both like a bishop and a rook. The queen can move to any square of vertical, horizontal or diagonal rows. But only on the condition that there are no other pieces on the way, because the queen is not able to jump over them. If an opponent’s piece (other than the king) is encountered on the queen’s path, then the queen can beat this piece and take its place.

Pawn

Everyone considers the pawn an unnecessary piece. In total, the player has eight pawns at the start of the game. Perhaps it is precisely this number that makes them not such important figures. But wise placement of pawns is the key to a successful game, as they are capable of creating a good defense.

Pawns are chess pieces with a unique ability. The thing is that a pawn can be exchanged for any other piece (except for the king) if it passes through the entire playing field. Since the queen is considered the most powerful piece, the pawn is usually exchanged for the queen. This is how the expression arose: “to queen a pawn.”

The pawn is very limited in movement. She can only walk forward. The first move can be made on one or two fields, and all subsequent moves can be made on only one. Another feature inherent in the pawn is that it only attacks forward diagonally. A pawn cannot shoot vertically forward. If there is an enemy piece in its path, the pawn cannot move further.

Hello, friends. You are Uncle Valera Paranichev.

Theater, as we know, begins with a hanger. Chess - from a chessboard. The initial placement of chess pieces on the board must be correct, otherwise your entire game will go awry and not according to the rules.

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If you want to start playing quickly, don't rush. You are a chess player, and chess begins with the basics.

Initial arrangement of figures

In classical chess, before the start of the game, the pieces are placed on the board in a strictly defined way: all the pieces are located on four horizontal lines. White on 1 and 2, black on 7 and 8. Rooks on the edges, then knights and bishops.

In the center, on the d and e verticals, are the king and queen. It is in the relative position of the king and queen that confusion most often arises. To make it easier to remember, the rule is this: The queen is located on a square of its color. Accordingly, the king is on the field of the opposite color.

The pawns are arranged in a row along the second and seventh ranks. There are 8 of them on each side.

I recommend that from the first steps you name your moves according to the names of the fields. Usually, when analyzing a game, chess players say this: “Knight f three.” This phrase means the knight's move on f3. Or: The queen hits de five” - the queen captured the enemy piece located on the d5 square.

Pieces and moves

We have separate articles on chess pieces. Therefore, we will limit ourselves to a short review. In total, each side has 16 figures. Each player has at his disposal a queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, 8 pawns and, of course, a king.

King– can make moves on one square
Queen- at any distance
Rook– moves vertically and horizontally
Elephant- diagonally
Horse- walks in a zigzag. More precisely, with the letter G. That is, two fields forward and one field to the side. Read more in this article
Pawn- can move either one field forward, or two - from the initial position. Read more about pawn moves in this article.
The king, queen, rook, knight and bishop can move in any direction. Pawn - only forward.

How to place pieces on the board

I recommend placing the pieces on the board, starting with the king and queen. Then minor pieces, rooks, and then pawns. While you are still a beginner chess player, such a sequence will help you remember the value of chess pieces.

This is not strictly necessary, of course. Just advice from an experienced chess player.

How to play for a beginner

The move e2-e4 opens the way for two pieces at once: the queen and the bishop. In addition, White's first move begins to fight for control of the center of the board.

Accordingly, it is reasonable for Black to respond to e2-e4 with e7-e5. The arguments are similar to those stated above.

Develop easy pieces - bishops and knights. It is better to bring the knights closer to the center of the board - to the squares f3, c3, f6, c6.

The center of the board - squares e4, e5, d4 and d5 - is the decisive springboard for the fight for advantage. Try to keep these fields in sight of your pieces

Try not to delay castling. For the king's safety.

Avoid rash moves with extreme pawns, especially on two squares. This weakens the position.

There must be good reasons for introducing the queen early into the game. This strongest piece has great potential, but due to its value it can become an object of attack. You will have to constantly divert the queen from exchanging for a less valuable piece.

It is clear that this is very general principles, stated briefly. Dozens of monographs have been written to describe various chess strategies. If you are a beginner, there is a time for everything.

Let us emphasize once again: Initial setup The figures on the chessboard in classical chess are strictly defined. In other types of chess, for example in Fischer chess, the arrangement is arbitrary. But that's a completely different story.