Board and Pieces
A chessboard consists of 8x8 = 64 squares.
Light and dark squares alternate, and each player starts with 16 pieces.
Types of Pieces
| Piece | Count | Role |
|---|---|---|
| King | 1 | Most important piece |
| Queen | 1 | Most powerful piece |
| Rook | 2 | Straight-line movement |
| Bishop | 2 | Diagonal movement |
| Knight | 2 | L-shaped movement |
| Pawn | 8 | Forward only |
The starting position of a chess game. White is at the bottom, Black is at the top.
How many squares does a chessboard have?
Note the King and Queen positions. White King is on e1, White Queen on d1.
Piece Values
Each piece has a different strategic value:
- Pawn: 1 point
- Knight: 3 points
- Bishop: 3 points
- Rook: 5 points
- Queen: 9 points
- King: Infinite (losing it ends the game)
Remembering these values helps you decide whether a trade is favorable.
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Lesson Complete!
Board and Pieces Introduction