Chess is played on a board with eight columns called files, each containing eight squares, and eight rows, or ranks, also containing eight squares. So, how many squares are there on a normal chessboard? The total amount of squares that are on every chess board is 204 squares. How did we come up with this […]
The 50 move rule in chess states that a draw may be claimed by either player if 50 moves in a row are made without a capture or a pawn move. This means 50 moves for each player, 100 in total. Every time a pawn moves or a piece is captured, the counter goes back […]
Pawns become more powerful as they go further up the board. They are able to control more squares in enemy territory. So what happens when a pawn reaches the other side? In chess, once a pawn reaches the other side of the chessboard (the eighth rank), it can immediately be promoted to any piece, based […]
Mistakes are a normal part of chess. They happen in every game. It’s impossible to play perfectly. Our goal is to make as few mistakes as we can and to take advantage of those the opponent makes. Mistakes come in various sizes. A big one is called a blunder. A little one is an inaccuracy. […]
In chess games where players use time control, adjacent game clocks (consisting of two buttons) may be used. One button stops the clock and the other starts the timer. These buttons prevent the clocks from simultaneously running. The clocks can either be digital or analog. Before the game starts, the arbiter has to decide which […]
The first moves in a game of chess are called the opening. This is the time when players prepare their pieces for battle. Here is the starting position of the chess opening: The starting position of a chess game Everything is peaceful. Both armies are standing on their own side of the board. There are […]
What is a draw in chess? A draw in chess is another way to say that the game ended in a tie! The are five ways a chess game can end in a draw: Draw by Stalemate Draw by Insufficient material Draw by Agreement Draw by Threefold repetition Draw by 50 move rule When you […]
When playing chess over the board (OTB) for the first time, you will be required to set up the chess board before/after playing. It is super embarrassing to set up the chessboard incorrectly by placing the queen on the wrong square or exchanging the positions of the knight and bishop. In this post, we will […]
What is the time control for a chess tournament? For all major FIDE events, the World Chess Federation has set a single-time control. This means a standard 90 minutes is given to both players. This time limit is enough for 40 moves after which the players can still get an extra 30 minutes to complete […]
Growing up, I used to think that chess was for extraordinary people who had a much greater brain development than I did. In fact, all this was proven wrong when I myself tried out for this intriguing game. So, are chess players smart or what? After three years of studying the game, I realized that […]