A chessboard (64 alternating black and white squares, the same as a checkerboard)

A set of black and white pieces. Each side includes one king, one queen, two bishops, two rooks (or "castles"), two knights, and eight pawns.

A complete chess set will range anywhere from a few dollars at a thrift store to several thousand for collectible sets.

An hour to learn the rules

Anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours to play a game

It's considered poor playing to touch a piece without moving it. If you only want to adjust a piece on the board, say so before touching it.

When you are ready to look at specific tactics and strategy, there are numerous books that can help you. Many specifically address the three phases: opening, middlegame, and endgame

2torial #0581: Learn2 Play Chess "I've been rooked!" The ancient game of chess, known as the game of kings, has captivated players for hundreds of years. It's one of the most well-known games of the world, spread throughout the Middle East, Asia, Europe and North America. If you have always wanted to learn the game, but felt daunted by the rules, relax. Many people think chess is complicated, but it's no more difficult to learn than many card games. Here is a short guide and full listing of the rules. One player takes white and the other player takes black, although chess pieces are occasionally colored differently. A traditional way of determining sides is for one player to hold a black pawn in one fist and a white pawn in the other. The other player then selects a hand and the pawn inside is the color he or she will play. The advantage of selecting white is that white moves first in the game. The board is then set up. Set up the board and prepare to play Most beginner players quickly remember the setup of the pieces. It's easy if you think of the pieces getting shorter as they move away from the king and queen. The bishop is the tallest, then the knight, then the rook. But sometimes players have trouble remembering what order the king and queen go in. Just remember, the opposing kings are always "facing" each other along the same vertical line (see illustration), the queen always goes on her own color and the board is set up with a white square on each player's right side. Know the basics Now that the board is set up, you need to learn the fundamentals. The object of the game is to "checkmate" (trap) the opponent's king. Checkmate occurs when the king cannot escape capture on the next move. Turns alternate between the white and black sides. On each turn, a player may move one piece appropriately from one square to another that is either open or occupied by an opponent. Each space on the board may be occupied by only one piece. When an opposing piece moves onto a space held by an opponent, it "captures" the piece and removes it from the board. Unlike checkers, pieces may not "jump" over their own or their opponent's pieces, though the knight may desire to do so. Study the pieces and their movements There are six different pieces in the game. King: This piece is the object of both you and your opponent. While you are trying to capture your opponent's king, your opponent will be trying to do the same with yours. Moves in any direction (even diagonally) one space. Queen: Moves in all directions, like the king, but with one key advantage: she can move as many spaces as desired as long as her path is unobstructed. She is the most powerful piece on the board. Losing your queen can put you at a serious disadvantage, but so can being overprotective. Bishop: Can move diagonally along its own color any number of spaces. Each side has one bishop that moves along the black squares and one that moves along the white squares. Rook: May move either horizontally or vertically any number of spaces.   Knight: The piece with the most unique moving pattern. It moves one space vertically or horizontally, then, still moving away from its original space, one space diagonally. This is also the only piece that may "jump" over other pieces. Pieces jumped over are not captured: only the piece occupying the destination square is. Pawn: Moves one space forward, and only forward. The Pawn captures, however, by moving diagonally forward. Consider your first moves The white player moves first. Options include moving a pawn forward either one or two spaces (see Step 6) or moving a knight out. Black then moves; play alternates between the two. It's often helpful to move pawns out of the way as soon as possible to get the more powerful pieces into play. Learn about "castling" with the king Castling is a special move that allows movement of both the king and rook. This is the only time that two pieces may be moved in a single turn. To castle, a king is first moved two spaces to the left or right of its original square. The rook that the king moves toward is then moved from its original space to a space adjacent to the king but on the opposite side. Castling is not allowed under the following conditions: If either the king or the selected rook has been moved in the game. Both pieces must be in their original places on the board. If there are pieces between the king and the rook. The space must be entirely open without any intervening pieces. If the king is in check, or if castling would move the king through any spaces that would put it in check. Memorize the special moves of the pawn You may play quite a few games before you need or care to use the following. But it's nice to have them in your arsenal. The first time each pawn is moved, it has the option of moving two spaces forward instead of the usual one space. After a pawn moves (either one or two spaces), this option is lost for that piece. Pawns capture only by moving diagonally. This is the only way they can capture, and the only way they can move diagonally. When a pawn has advanced to the fifth row on the board and an opposing pawn moves out two spaces in an adjacent column, the first pawn can then declare an "en passant" capture and move diagonally behind the opposing pawn. The captured pawn is then removed as if captured normally. If a pawn is moved all the way to the far side of the board (closest to its opponent), it must be replaced by another piece of the offensive player's choice. This is called "promotion." Pawns may be promoted to either a knight, rook, bishop, or queen, regardless of what has been previously captured. Promotion can also be used to exceed the normal roster of pieces (i.e. several queens are possible). Know the difference between check and checkmate   This is the difference between threatening to win and actually winning the game. When a king is threatened with capture, the player who threatens the king makes this known by saying "check." To avoid capture, the king may be moved out of check, the threatening piece may be captured, or a piece may be moved between the king and the checking piece to effectively block check. If there is no way out of check, "checkmate" is called and the game is over. The king may never move into check. Chess etiquette requires that the king is not removed from the board; rather, the king is laid down sideways on the board. Learn the ways to end the game   The game is won when one king is in checkmate. A draw results when a king is not in check but cannot move without putting itself into check. This is called a "stalemate" and results in a tie game. You may also offer a draw to your opponent and mutually agree to end the game at a tie. -end- Learn More!