Know the Chess Set Up and Rules of the Chess

While chess can be an intimidating concept, chess setup and rules are actually quite simple and easy to understand, if you only take time to really learn the basics. The first thing you should understand is that chess is a game played between two opposing sides, the black and the white side, each taking alternate turns, moving a piece at a time in order to capture the enemy’s king. The player on the white side moves first. This is one of the first and most important chess setup and rules you should remember as you learn to play the game.

Moving on to the chess pieces, you will notice that each side is given a total of 16 chess materials of different types, each of which moves in a particular way. A piece isn’t allowed to land on a chess square that is occupied by a friendly or same colored piece. If your piece lands on one that is taken by an enemy piece, the material is captured and removed from the board. Pieces are not permitted to jump over another, except for the knight, which is also the only piece that can move in different directions and not just in a straight line.

The bishops can move for any number of diagonal squares, while the rooks can move horizontally or vertically. The queen, which is considered the most powerful piece, can move in a straight line either diagonally, vertically, or horizontally.  Pawns can only move one square at a time, except during its first move, in which case it can move two squares forward. It can never move backward and can only capture pieces by moving diagonally toward the next square forward.

Chess setup and rules at the start of the game requires each player having a light-colored square in their bottom right-hand corner. Starting from the bottom left and the bottom right squares, put your rooks, continuing inward with your knights and bishops on either side. The queen should always go on the square of its own color (white on light, black on dark) and the king should stand on the remaining square between the queen and the bishop. The second row in front of the larger pieces is reserved for all your pawns.

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Points to Remember When Choosing a Chess Mentor for Your Chess Classes

Learning chess takes no more than understanding its basic rules and principles, learning its intricacies requires so much more than your dad telling you what each piece can do or how each piece is supposed to move around the chess board. When you want to get serious about a chess career, you need a chess mentor who can walk with you through your journey and teach you the ropes as you climb up your skill level. Perhaps you are finding no improvement despite hours spent in self-study or maybe you are in need of an experienced advisor who can help you understand more advanced concepts and develop a stronger repertoire of tactics and strategies. Here are some things you should remember when hiring a chess mentor:

• Experience is important. This said, experience doesn’t automatically make a grand master a good teacher. A successful chess master career doesn’t necessarily mean success in teaching. Choose a chess mentor who has an experience and a good track record in coaching other players. This means they are effective in imparting knowledge to their mentees. Teaching skills also improve with experience as they get to meet and work with aspirants of different skill sets and skill levels. 

• Find a chess mentor who brings attention on your needs. A good coach knows how to assess your skills and prescribe programs or trainings you could take to address your weaknesses and further enhance your strong points.

• Know your potential mentor’s expertise. Some coaches specialize in specific areas of the game. If you need to improve on a specific thing, such as openings or the middle game, you may also choose a mentor who has a good repertoire of strategies and tactics that you can learn to address your needs. 

• Is your potential coach an active chess player? Active chess players are also a great choice for a mentor as they are people who haven’t lost contact with their competitive side and is up-to-date with trends, novelties, tournaments, and other things of interest in the realm of chess.

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