Chess For Dummies by James Eade

Want to play chess like a champ? Dummies can help. From Netflix's “The Queen’s Gambit” to podcasts, virtual and mobile gaming, and beyond, chess is back in a big way. But, with all those kings, queens, and knights, chess can be a royal pain to grasp. Chess For Dummies is here to help beginners wrap their minds around the rules of the game, make sense of those puzzling pieces, and sharpen their chess strategy such that even Paul Morphy would be impressed. You’ll learn the laws of chess, its lingo, and engage in the art of the attack with the easy-to-follow, step-by-step explanations found in the latest edition of Chess For Dummies. Whether you’re playing chess online, in a tournament, or across the dining room table with a family member or friend, this hands-on guide is sure to capture your interest (and your opponent's queen), getting you up to speed on the game and its components and giving you the know-how you need to put the principles of play into action from the opening to the endgame. Grasp the rules of play and the nuances of each phase of the game Familiarize yourself with the pieces and the board Pick the perfect chess set and chessboard for you Read more

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From the Publisher Chessboard Chatter: Bring Home a Board and Chess Set Finding the right board and set So you've decided all this chess stuff is up your alley. Well, first things first – you need a chessboard and a chess set (the collection of chess pieces). You'll find it extremely helpful to have a board and chess set on hand when reading chess books. Some people can do without one – but some people can memorize the works of John Milton, too. (But, who wants to do that?) I've included some diagrams below to help you understand the game, but they don't take the place of a real set and board. These diagrams serve primarily to help to make certain your board is set up correctly, but you'll likely find it more useful to get out your chessboard and set when you're reading to set up the board as the diagrams show you. That way, you get a real-life view of the moves I describe. Your first challenge in finding a chessboard and set is to sort through the many available types. A tremendous range in sizes, colors, and quality exists. The name of the standard design, which is distinguished by the look of the pieces, is the Staunton. This design bears the name of the great English player Howard Staunton and was registered in 1849. Its popularity was so great that it was adopted as the one and only design allowed in official tournaments. If you play with strangers and bring anything other than a Staunton-designed set, people may assume you're trying to psych them out by using equipment that they aren't familiar with. And, you probably don't want to start off on the wrong foot. Wood sets and boards in the Staunton design are more popular at higher levels of competition, but a typical tournament set can be made of plastic pieces in classic white and black. The board is generally of a vinyl roll-up variety with white and green squares. "Why not black squares?" you may justifiably ask. "Headaches," I would answer. I've learned that staring at a high-contrast board is not advisable. Miniature traveling sets are the only exception. It doesn't matter what color they are, because the makers assume you won't be staring at them too long (especially if you're driving!). If cost is no object, wood pieces and boards are the way to go. Wood boards provide the most soothing background possible, and the weight and feel of wood pieces are generally more satisfying to the touch. In case you're really getting into chess and admire sets meant to be looked at rather than played with, collectible sets have a small cottage industry of their own, and these sets vary in design as well as in quality. Getting up close and personal with your board The right way for the white square After you pick up your soon-to-be-beloved chessboard and set, you need to get familiar with them. The first thing to notice is that all the squares are the same size but alternate between two colors (a light color and a darker color). Colors are important in chess (bishops are confined to only one of them, knights go back and forth between them, and so on), which is why chess players insist that a white square needs to be in the lower right-hand corner as the start of a game. But I saw it on TV A white square should always be in the lower right-hand corner as you face the board. The most common mistake among beginners is to position the board incorrectly at the start of the game. As a matter of fact, Hollywood and television make this common mistake, too. Whenever you see a chessboard positioned in a movie or on TV, check to see if the set director or props person got it right. Fun facts when scoping out your chessboard: It's made up of 64 squares evenly divided between 32 light squares and 32 dark squares. It's symmetrical and square – in the geometric sense. The square comprises eight ranks and files (and a bunch of diagonals). Rows are called ranks in chess. Columns are called files. Diagonals are, well, diagonals! Recognizing the ranks Ranks are rows that go from side to side across the chessboard and are referred to by numbers. Each chessboard has eight ranks, which are numbered from the bottom of the board. Figuring out the files Files are columns that go up and down the chessboard, and each board has eight of them. Because numbers indicate ranks, letters indicate files, which are labeled from left to right. Identifying individual squares The naming convention for ranks and files allows you to give a unique identifier to every square by using what chess people call the file-first method. For example, the lower right-hand square (which is white, of course) is called h1. This name is shorthand for h-file, first rank. Digging those diagonals As you probably expect, diagonals have names, too. Unlike ranks and files, diagonals are defined by their starting and ending squares. The starting square is conventionally given as the one with the lower rank. The diagonals on a chessboard always contain like-colored squares. You can have light-squared diagonals and dark-squared diagonals – but never two-toned ones. Piecemeal: Putting the Pieces on the Board Chess pieces and their symbols To depict the chessboard in a way that everyone around the world can understand, chess players have developed a set of symbols to represent the chessmen. Each one may be represented by a one-letter abbreviation or by an icon. I use the piece symbols above to show you how to set up the board. You may find it helpful to set up your own board piece by piece using these diagrams. Getting ready for gameplay The rooks take the corner squares while the knights stand by their rooks, along the same rank. Start with the corners. The rooks go on the corner squares. Next come the knights. Place them next to the rooks. The bishops stand guard by the knights while the queens perch on the squares of their own shade. Then, put the bishops on the board next to the knights. After the bishops come the queens. The queens always start on a square of the same shade – the white queen starts on a light square, and the black queen starts on a dark square. Kings take their thrones next to their ladies while the pawns take their posts on the front line. Next, place the kings next to the queens, which is only fitting. Finally, add the pawns straight across the rank in front of the other pieces. If you set up your chessboard by using these directions, and it looks like the diagram above, checkmate! You're ready for a game.