How to Play Chess. Charlotte Boardman Rogers
The Game of Chess is played on a board by two persons or parties, each having sixteen men; eight on the first rank called Pieces, and eight on the second rank, called Pawns.
The Board.
A Chess Board is a perfect square which is further divided into sixty-four smaller squares of alternate, contrasting colors; one light or white, and one dark or black. The light colored square is always referred to as White, and the dark colored square is always referred to as Black. The board is placed between the two players so that each has a white square at his right hand, and one half of the board is called the King's Side, and the other half the Queen's Side, but the beginner will understand the arrangement more clearly when he is familiar with the men.
The Men.
The Game of Chess is played with thirty-two men, sixteen of which are light in color and referred to as White; and sixteen dark and spoken of as Black. The player or party on one side of the board has the Black men while the player or party on the other side has the White men. The Chessmen are divided into two classes: Pieces and Pawns. When the board is set up the Pieces stand on the first rank and include:
| One King of each color, indicated by K. |
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| One Queen of each color, indicated by Q. |
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| Two Bishops of each color, indicated B. |
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| Two Knights of each color, indicated by Kt. |
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| Two Rooks of each color, indicated by R. |
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Formerly the word Castle was used, but it is now almost obsolete, the word Rook being given the preference.
| The Pawns, of which there are eight of each color, are all alike in design and stand on the second rank at the opening of the game. They are indicated by P. |
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Setting Up The Board.
Diagram I shows the board arranged for the play. The student will note that the King and Queen occupy the two middle squares, each Queen being on the square of her own color. Next come the Bishops, one on each side of the King and Queen; then the Knights, and finally the Rooks which occupy the corner squares. The Pawns are arranged on the squares in front of the Pieces.
black.
white.
DIAGRAM I.
Pieces and Pawns in Position.
Names of the Pieces and Pawns.
The chessmen of each player are further named according to their positions upon the board. Thus, the Bishop next to the Queen is called the Queen's Bishop, indicated by QB; and the Bishop next to the King is called the King's Bishop, indicated by KB. The Knight on the Queen's side is called the Queen's Knight, indicated by QKt, and the Knight on the King's side is called the King's Knight, indicated by KKt. The Rook on the Queen's side is called the Queen's Rook, indicated by QR, and the Rook on the King's side is called the King's Rook, indicated by KR.
The Pawns are named after the Pieces in front of which they stand. Thus, beginning at the left (as shown in DIAGRAM I) the Pawns are called the Queen's Rook's Pawn (QRP); the Queen's Knight's Pawn (QKtP); the Queen's Bishop's Pawn (QBP); the Queen's Pawn, (QP); the King's Pawn (KP); the King's op's Pawn, (KBP); the King's Knight's Pawn, (KKtP); and the King's Rook's Pawn, (KRP). The student should familiarize himself with the letters by which the different Pieces and Pawns are distinguished so that he may readily identify them, as the names are seldom used in full.
Names of the Squares.
The squares are named after the Pieces which occupy them at the beginning of the game. The square occupied by the Queen is called the Queen's Square (QSq) and the squares in front of it are numbered in order across the board thus: Q2; Q3; Q4; Q5; Q6; Q7; Q8. It will be noted from DIAGRAM II., that Q8 of the Black Queen is the Queen's Square of the White Queen, as each player counts from his own side of the board. The names of the squares are abbreviated thus: KSq; K2; K3; K4; K5; K6; K7; K8; KBSq; KB2; KB3; KB4; KB5; KB6; KB7; KB8; KKtSq; KKt2; KKt3; KKt4; KKt5; KKt6 KKt7; KKt8; KRSq; KR2; KR3; KR4; KR5; KR6; KR7; KR8; and correspondingly on the Queen's side. If the student will study DIAGRAM II with care,
DIAGRAM II.
Showing the Names of the Squares.
he will have no difficulty in recognizing the different squares when reference is made to them.
CHAPTER III
OBJECT OF THE GAME AND ORDER OF PROCEDURE
The game of Chess, as already stated, is played by two persons or parties, and the object of each is to capture his opponent’s King or place him in such a position that he cannot move without being taken. If the King is attacked, or threatened with capture, the attacking party must give warning by calling out “Check”; and if the King, in the next move cannot avoid the attack he is “checkmate” or “mate” and the game is at an end, the person having first captured his opponent’s King being the winner. The student will note that the game stops one move short of the final play which takes the King.
If, for any reason, the Kings occupy such positions upon the board that neither can be captured the game is drawn.
The players first arrange the board