Rules 2: The initial position of the pieces on the chessboard

Rules 2: The initial position of the pieces on the chessboard


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2.1. The chessboard is composed of an 8x8 grid of 64 equal squares alternately light (the 'white' squares) and dark (the 'black' squares). The chessboard is placed between the players in such a way that the near corner square to the right of the player is white.

2.2. At the beginning of the game one player has 16 light-coloured pieces (the 'white' pieces); the other has 16 dark-coloured pieces (the 'black' pieces).

These pieces are as follows:

A white king
A white queen
Two white rooks
Two white bishops
Two white knights
Eight white pawns
A black king
A black queen
Two black rooks
Two black bishops
Two black knights
Eight black pawns


2.3. The initial position of the pieces on the chessboard is as follows:



:

2.4. The eight vertical columns of squares are called 'files'. The eight horizontal rows of squares are called 'ranks'. A straight line of squares of the same colour, touching corner to corner, is called a 'diagonal'.

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The nature and objectives of the game of chess

Rules 1: The nature and objectives of the game of chess


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1.1. The game of chess is played between two opponents who move pieces alternately on a square board called a 'chessboard'. The player with the white pieces commences the game. A player is said to 'have the move', when his opponent's move has been completed.

1.2. The objective of each player is to place the opponent's king 'under attack' in such a way that the opponent has no legal move which would avoid the 'capture' of the king on the following move. The player who achieves this is said to have 'checkmated' the opponent and to have won the game. The opponent who has been checkmated has lost the game.

1.3. If the position is such that neither player can possibly checkmate, the game is drawn.

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