To play chess, follow these essential steps:

1. Set Up the Chessboard

• Place the board so that each player has a white (light) square on their bottom-right corner.
• Arrange the pieces on the first two ranks (rows) for each player:
  • Second rank: All pawns.
  • First rank: From left to right - rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook.
  • The queen is placed on the square matching her color (white queen on white, black queen on black).
  • The king occupies the remaining square next to the queen

2. Understand the Pieces and How They Move

• Pawn: Moves forward one square, with the option to move two squares on its first move; captures diagonally.
• Rook: Moves any number of vacant squares vertically or horizontally.
• Knight: Moves in an "L" shape (two squares in one direction and one square perpendicular); can jump over pieces.
• Bishop: Moves any number of vacant squares diagonally.
• Queen: Moves any number of vacant squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.
• King: Moves one square in any direction; also involved in castling

3. Special Rules

• Castling: A special move involving the king and a rook. The king moves two squares toward a rook, and the rook moves to the square next to the king on the opposite side. Castling can be done kingside or queenside but only if neither piece has moved before, and no pieces are between them.
• En Passant: A special pawn capture that can occur immediately after an opponent's pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position.
• Pawn Promotion: When a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board, it can be promoted to any other piece, usually a queen

4. Game Play Basics

• White moves first, then players alternate turns.
• On each turn, move one piece according to its rules.
• Capture opponent pieces by moving onto their square.
• The goal is to checkmate the opponent's king - putting it under threat of capture with no legal moves to escape

5. Basic Strategy Tips

• Control the center of the board to give your pieces more mobility.
• Develop all your pieces (move them from their starting squares) to active positions.
• Protect your king, often by castling early.
• Avoid moving the same piece multiple times in the opening unless necessary

Summary

Chess is a strategic game played on an 8x8 board with each player controlling 16 pieces with distinct moves. The objective is to checkmate the opponent’s king by trapping it so it cannot escape capture. Learning piece movements, special rules like castling, and basic strategies will help you start playing effectively

. For a visual and detailed explanation, video tutorials and interactive lessons are widely available online to help beginners grasp the game quickly