If you are new to the game of chess you will learn quickly that there are some house rules for playing chess. Like every game there are certain things you can or cannot do. Learning some house rules for chess is the first thing you need to learn. Let’s look at some house rules to follow while playing chess.
An overview
Generally speaking, the ultimate goal in the game of chess is to capture your opponent’s king. This is called check or check mate. The white team is always the first to play by moving a chess piece. The players then continue to take alternating turns one piece at a time. Each chess piece has its own method of movement which we will also discuss. By moving pieces to different squares you capture your enemy pieces until eventually one person captures the king; in which the game ends. None of the pieces can move through other pieces except for the knight.
Rules of Movement
The chessboard is made up of 64 squares of alternating colors. After the pieces have all been placed on the board there are some things you will need to know about how the pieces move. We’ll start from the bottom and work our way up.
There are sixteen pawns in the game of chess; eight white and eight black. These are the lease powerful pieces in the game and are usually sacrificed for their comrade pieces. Some house rules for moving pawns are:
They can never move backward or sideways; they only move straight ahead unless they are capturing another piece.
Pawns generally only move one square at a time except if it is the very first time the pawn is being moved. If it is the initial move of the pawn it can move forward two squares if both squares are vacant.
Pawns can only capture pieces that are diagonally placed from them.
Pawns are converted to a new (more important) piece when they have reached the other side of the board; eighth rank. Under normal circumstances the pawn is promoted into a queen.
The rook is the piece that is shaped like a castle. In terms of pieces it is worth a bishop, knight, and two pawns. A rook can move any number of squares as long as it is in a straight line; column or row. Rooks don’t ever move on the diagonal. It also plays an important role with the king called castling.
The knight piece is the one piece in the game that is unique in its movement style. It moves in an L-shape direction and can jump over other pieces as it moves. This gives it a slight advantage because of its flexibility in moving over and around pieces on the board.
The bishop can move any number of squares much like the rook, but it does not move in straight lines. It only moves diagonally. Each player gets two bishops; they always remain on the same colored squares because they can only move on the diagonals. If the board stays open, the bishop is a great piece to use.
The Queen is without a doubt the most powerful piece on the chess board. She can move as many squares as she wants and in any direction (unless there is an obstruction). She can cover a large percentage of the board. The queen cannot jump over pieces but captures enemy pieces by overtaking their squares.
The king is the most important piece in the game. The king can only move one square in any direction. The only restriction he has is that he cannot move into a position where he might be captured by an opposing piece. If the king falls to enemy grounds you lose the game.
There are a couple of other house rules you need to know before starting the game; castling and En Passant.
Castling is a defensive maneuver used only with the king and the rook chess pieces. It is the only time in the game where you can move two pieces in one turn. Castling can only occur if:
There are no pieces standing between the king and the rook
Neither the king or the rook have moved form their original position
There is no opposing piece that may capture the king in his original square
En Passant is a very obscure move made in chess by the pawn. It can only happen when a player exercises his right to move his pawn two squares on its very first move. If this happens, the opposing player can take the moved pawn “en passant ” as if it had only moved one square.
The game of chess is known around the world, so if you’re planning on becoming an avid player you will need to learn these house rules for playing chess.
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