Chess Rules - Starting a Game

Now that we've looked at each piece individually, let's bring them all together.

Setting up the Board

For each player, the square in the bottom right corner must be light. Remember: "Light on the Right!"

All the pieces must be placed on their starting squares:

This is how to set up the board at the start of the game.

The white Queen goes on the light square, the black Queen on the dark square. Remember: "Queen on her colour!"

When you're still learning the game, it can be helpful to refer to a reference (like this page!) to help you set up the board. After you've set up a few games, the starting position will become more natural.

Playing

White moves first, followed by black, in an alternating fashion. Each side makes one move at a time. Players continue to alternate moves back and forth until the game is completed.

There are still a number of special rules and moves that you need to learn before you can play a complete game. Let's go through these - one-by-one.