Special Rule #3

En Passant

The last rule about pawns is called “en passant,” which is French basically means “in passing”. If a pawn moves out two squares on its first move, and by doing so lands to the side of an opponent’s pawn (effectively jumping past the other pawn’s ability to capture it), that other pawn has the option of capturing the first pawn as it passes by. This special move must be done immediately after the first pawn has moved past, otherwise the option to capture it is no longer available. Click through the example below to better understand this odd, but important rule.

By BeginChess, beginchess.blogspot.com

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Special Rule #2

Powerful Skewer and Pin

There are many weapons that a chess player has at his disposal. One of the most lethal attacks is the skewer and pin which attacks a piece and also a piece behind it. This can be done by attacking a king with a piece behind it. The king will be forced to move, exposing the piece behind it. Also if a piece is in front of the king and the piece is pinned, the piece will be unable to move out of the way of harm because of the pin caused on the king.

Rarely will you find your opponent at a chess board give you easy skewers or pins that will leave some of his most powerful pieces hanging. Instead, it is imperative that a chess player knows how to set up skewers and pins by using a vareity of tricks. These tricks will allow you to take control of a game where you might not have thought you could before .

Watch the video below to watch more detailed explanations of powerful skewers and pins.

By BeginChess, beginchess.blogspot.com

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Special Rule #1

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Promotion

Pawns have another special ability and that is that if a pawn reaches the other side of the board it can become any other chess piece (called promotion). A pawn may be promoted to any piece. [NOTE: A common misconception is that pawns may only be exchanged for a piece that has been captured. That is NOT true.] A pawn is usually promoted to a queen. Only pawns may be promoted.

By Begin Chess, beginchess.blogspot.com

How The Pieces Move

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How The Pieces Move

How the Chess Pieces Move

Each of the 6 different kinds of pieces moves differently. Pieces cannot move through other pieces (though the knight can jump over other pieces), and can never move onto a square with one of their own pieces. However, they can be moved to take the place of an opponent's piece which is then captured. Pieces are generally moved into positions where they can capture other pieces (by landing on their square and then replacing them), defend their own pieces in case of capture, or control important squares in the game.

The King

The king is the most important piece, but is one of the weakest. The king can only move one square in any direction - up, down, to the sides, and diagonally. Click on the ">" button in the diagram below to see how the king can move around the board. The king may never move himself into check (where he could be captured).

The Queen

The queen is the most powerful piece. If moved she can move in any one straight direction - forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally - as far as possible as long as she does not move through any of her own pieces. And, like with all pieces, if the queen captures an opponent's piece her move is over. Click through the diagram below to see how the queens move. Notice how the white queen captures the black queen and then the black king is forced to move.

The Rook

The rook may move as far as it wants, but only forward, backward, and to the sides. The rooks are particularly powerful pieces when they are protecting each other and working together!

The Bishop

The bishop may move as far as it wants, but only diagonally. Each bishop starts on one color (light or dark) and must always stay on that color. Bishops work well together because they cover up each other’s weaknesses.

The Knight

Knights move in a very different way from the other pieces – going two squares in one direction, and then one more move at a 90 degree angle, just like the shape of an “L”. Knights are also the only pieces that can move over other pieces.

The Pawn

Pawns are unusual because they move and capture in different ways: they move forward, but capture diagonally. Pawns can only move forward one square at a time, except for their very first move where they can move forward two squares. Pawns can only capture one square diagonally in front of them. They can never move or capture backwards. If there is another piece directly in front of a pawn he cannot move past or capture that piece.

By BeginChess, beginchess.blogspot.com

Starting A Game

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Starting A Game For Beginners

Starting a Game

At the beginning of the game the chessboard is laid out so that each player has the white (or light) color square in the bottom right-hand side. The chess pieces are then arranged the same way each time. The second row (or rank) is filled with pawns. The rooks go in the corners, then the knights next to them, followed by the bishops, and finally the queen, who always goes on her own matching color (white queen on white, black queen on black), and the king on the remaining square.

The player with the white pieces always moves first. Therefore, players generally decide who will get to be white by chance or luck such as flipping a coin or having one player guess the color of the hidden pawn in the other player's hand. White then makes a move, followed by black, then white again, then black and so on until the end of the game.

Chess Quotes

To win by the beauty of artistic design, in strategy, is one thing -- to win on a blunder is tragic.

I get my jollies watching the actions and reactions of players -- just seeing the consequences of human thought is fascinating to me. The win or loss is just a symptom.

-- Stan Kern

Chess holds it's master, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom of the very strongest must suffer.

--Albert Einstein



Chess Is like life, make mistakes, you mess up, make good moves, you rise to the top.

--Carlos Elizalde I

G4 Anand Beats Topalov, Takes The Lead

Viswanathan Anand won the fourth game of the World Championship match against Veselin Topalov quickly and impressively. In another Catalan, it was the World Champion’s turn to sacrifice a knight at an early stage, and like in the first game of the match, the resulting attack proved deadly.

G3 Easy Draw For Anand

The third game of the World Championship match in Sofia today ended in a draw. Viswanathan Anand didn’t go for the Grünfeld, but instead the World Champion seemed to be impersonating Topalov’s nemesis Vladimir Kramnik and picked a variation of the Slav that the Russian had played against Topalov in Elista in 2006.

G2 Anand Equalizes

Viswanathan Anand immediately struck back in the second game of the World Championship match in Sofia, Bulgaria. He defeated Veselin Topalov in 42 moves with the white pieces in a Catalan, to level the score.

G1 Topalov Crushes Anand In The First Game

Veselin Topalov defeated Viswanathan Anand in crushing style in the first game of the World Championship match in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Bulgarian started with 1.d4, which was answered by the Grünfeld Defence. At move 24 Topalov, probably still in his preparation, sacrificed a knight which turned out to be completely winning.