Mastering the game of chess requires concentration, patience and the ability to plan ahead

Chess is a thinking man’s game, but it is also thought of as war on a checkered board.

The successful chess player needs to balance aggression with caution. He or she also needs to know when to attack and when to defend.

History of the Game

No one knows for sure how the game got started, but, according to the World Book Encyclopedia, most scholars believe chess began in India around 600 A.D. Some historians believe it was used to teach military leaders how to think on a battlefield.

It became a popular game in the Arab world, spreading first to Persia and then to other lands. Muslims brought the game to Spain in the 700s. The game reached most of Europe and Scandinavia by 1000.

The modern-day version of chess developed in Europe in the 1500s. An 18th century Frenchman named Philidor is generally regarded as the first world champion.

Rules of the Game

Most experts tell beginning players they must first thoroughly know the rules of chess before they can master the game.

Chess is played on a 64-square board consisting of eight horizontal rows and eight vertical rows. The squares are alternately light and dark.

It is played by two players who face each other on opposite sides of the board. Each player has 16 pieces. They consist of eight pawns, two knights, two bishops, two rooks (castles), one queen and one king. One player uses lighter colored pieces (“white”) and the other used darker pieces (“black”). The “white” player moves first and the players alternate moves after that.

Pawns move one space forward, except on their first move when they can advance two spaces. Bishops move diagonally. Rooks move in a straight line. Knights move in an “L” shape. Queens can move either diagonally or in a straight line. A king can only move one space at a time.

There are is a special move called “castling” between the rook and king. You can also “queen” a pawn by advancing it to the other side of the board.

Another player’s piece can be captured and taken off the board if an opposing piece lands on the square it occupies.

Whenever a player makes a move that puts the other person’s king in danger of being taken, they customarily say “check.”

End of the Game

The object of the game is to trap the other person’s king, so it cannot move without putting itself in check. When that happens, the advancing player says “checkmate” and the game ends.

A player can also resign if he or she feels their position is hopeless.

A game can end in a tie or draw if both players agree. A draw can also be called if the players have made 50 moves without a piece being taken off the board.

A stalemate is called if the only move a player can make would put his or her king in danger.

Strategies of the Game

The book, “Chess Step by Step” by Frank Marshall and JCH Macbeth, offers beginning players basic strategies. Here are some of them.

*Don’t move a single piece more than once until most of your pieces have been moved.

*Don’t move a piece past the fourth horizontal row until most of your pieces have been moved.

*Move your knights before you move your bishops.

*Spread your moves across the board. Don’t concentrate on one side.

*Keep your bishops in the game as along as possible.

*Avoid premature attacks.

*Look for weak spots in your opponent’s position.

The authors say chess is fun and challenging, but it takes constant playing and a keen understanding of the game to become good at it.