Coming To Terms With Chess
Early BeginningsSeveral historians speculate Persia to be the cradle of the first chess game ever. Moreover, chess during that era was intended to hone the army"s strategic battling skills. Chess flourished in medieval Europe. Everyone from members of the royal family all the way down to the peasantry knew how chess was played. According to historians, Europe was where chess evolved into a game.
Chess Board Set-Up: Crucial and Proper
Technically, a chess game cannot begin without the proper board setup. There"s no such thing as a minor detail when it comes to setting up the board. There is even a rule documented in the "Laws of Chess"" which explains that before two players can play, the board must be positioned in such a manner that the bottom right square is white, and that this should be the same for either player.
The Game Pieces
The chess pieces are meant to reflect the hierarchy of a European nation. The dispensable pawns are similar to the commoners of the olden days. In your game though, treat pawns as if they"re your foot soldiers. The rooks come next. They"re supposed to stand for your domicile. After the rooks, come the knights. In the medieval era, the knights were valued soldiers, regarded highly by the royal family. The queen dominates the chess board; she"s your most powerful chess piece ever. Don"t neglect your king though. If the king is captured, the game is through.
The arrangement of the game pieces is very important. Look carefully if you"ve correctly assembled your pieces. You"ll know the setup is right when the royals of the black team are in an opposite order when compared to the monarchs of the white team. Pawns give the royals a line of protective cover. When a player is controlling the whites, the pieces need to be set up left to right in the order of rook, knight, bishop, Queen, King, bishop, knight, rook.
Technically, chess has no set rule about beginning a match if the pieces aren"t in the correct position, but just because there isn"t a written rule it doesn"t follow that an unspoken one does not exist. It"s a gesture of respect that players share for each other and for the game.
At present, thanks to the internet making it more convenient to find opponents, chess is once more beginning a slow rise in popularity.