Chess can be sexy. Anya Taylor-Joy in the hit Netflix show Queen’s Gambit taught me that. Chess can also be evil and stupid. A viral (and unfounded) claim that a 19-year-old chess champion defeated the best chess player in the world, Norwegian professional Magnus Carlsen, by using smart technology anal beads to help him cheat, as well as recent controversies regarding Grandmaster misogynsitcoh and the chess robot break a child’s bone, taught me that. Chess hasn’t had such a wild year since the era when Marilyn Monroe’s legacy was defiled first.
But, instead of being enthralled by all the weirdness, you’ve probably been drawn to the whirlpool of dark intrigue and the espresso of chess. No one has to shy away from the weird, you thought it was time to dive into the game and start writing things down on sticky notes the way sexy misogynists do. Yeah sure. I can understand the appeal of a mysterious Norwegian. And I can teach you how to start playing chess, completely scandal-free.
1. Get acquainted with the board of directors
During a match, a chessboard is laid out so that both you and your opponent have a lighter colored square in the bottom right. Regardless of the actual color of your board, the player with the bright pieces will play “White” and make the first move. The other player is “Black” and answers.
To set up your board, place eight pawns on the second or “ranked” row. Then, like having a mirror, place a chariot in each corner of the first rank, knights beside them and bishops beside the knights. Your queen sits next to the bishop on her matching color (a white queen placed on a white square, a black queen on black), and your king sits next to her .
2. Move — online or offline
Chess is an official game of cat and mouse. Your ultimate goal is to capture your opponent’s king in a checkerboard. But before killing the king, you need to understand and remember that each of the six types of pieces has a definite strength and set of moves. Deeply familiarizing yourself with these limitations will allow you to move with confidence and strategy.
Know this about your army:
- Pawn: can only press forward, but pawns can only capture pieces diagonally to and in front of them. Untouched pawns can move two squares forward, but if the moved pawn lands in enemy capture territory if it moves only one square, it can be captured immediately ie en passant, or are passing. Pawns can also be “promoted” if they reach the last square in a column or “file” and are exchanged for pieces, bishops, knights or queens.
- Rooks: can move to any open squares in front of, next to, or behind them. They can also be used to “castle”, a single-use move that only applies to an untouched piece and the unaffected king is unimpeded by enemies. The king also cannot be attacked or controlled. After meeting these requirements, you can enter a castle by luring your king two squares to the left or right, towards the piece you are going to move, then sitting that piece next to the king on the opposite side mine. You will not move two pieces at once outside of this move.
- Knight: move in an L shape, one square up and one square up, always to a square of the other color it started with (a black rider moving from a white square back to black, then white, then black again, etc.). Only knights can jump over other pieces while moving.
- Bishop: move diagonally to any open square that matches the color of its starting square.
- Queen: The most formidable piece can go anywhere for as long as she wants, as long as it doesn’t cross over another piece.
- King: The shrimp king can move a square in any direction.
The best way to embed a lot of chess rules in your muscle memory is to play it. Lichess, Chess.comand Chess24 offers free computer training matches or skill-based beginner friendly matches. If you enjoy practicing on a physical board or simply want a board, you don’t need anything fancy, but sets come in weights and materials like vinyl or woods like boxwood and wood. Persimmons are very durable, easy to move and easy to transport. transport. Chess sets don’t have to be expensive either, like This $25 weighted vinyl board from Chess House tagged helpful with algebraic notation.
3. Getting to know the community
In addition to the basic rules described here, chess has a lot of passion, creative play, and a lot of drama worthy of a bag of microwave popcorn. Very positive r / chess and r / chess are low stakes ways to chat with enthusiasts and get to know chess more intimately.
Your town or city may also have a few chess clubs or hangouts. In New York City, where I live, newcomers are welcome to buy boards or play games at Chess Forum in Greenwich Village, or sit down at a stone chess board in parks like Washington Square, Union, or Bryant. Hell, you can even have your own thrills Looking for Bobby Fischer experience. Stirring orchestra scores are not included.
But in the end to play in tournaments, some take place online or weeklyyou will need to purchase a membership to the American Chess Federation (one year for adults over 24 and under 65 price $45). Membership also makes you eligible for an official US Chess rating.
4. Maintain a healthy relationship with your digestive tract
Don’t put anything chess-related in your ass. Or don’t tell any Norwegian about it. If you do, they will warn the media, and your burgeoning chess career will be smothered like a bug.
