3 easy steps to start playing chess

At first glance, Chess may appear to be a complicated game that takes hours to learn. While Chess does require concentration, tactics and skill, it is easy to learn and practice makes perfect.

• You play Chess on a 64-square, black-and-white board. The object is to capture your opponent’s king.
• You set the board up with a white square in each player's right-hand corner. Centre the king and queen on the back row with the black queen on a black square and the white queen on white.
• On either side place a bishop, then a knight, with the rooks or castles in each corner. Line up the pawns in front.

• Pawns can only move forward. They can move one or two squares with the first move and one afterwards. The exception to this is when they move one square diagonally.
• Rooks can move back, forwards or sideways in straight lines over any number of squares.
• Queens can move back or forth in straight lines in any direction and over any number of empty squares.
• Knights can move one or two squares vertically or horizontally then another one or two squares in an L-shape.
• Bishops can move diagonally back or forth in straight lines.
• Kings can move one square in any direction.

• The white player starts by moving either a pawn or a knight. This is the only piece that can pass over occupied squares, to land on an empty one or to capture a square.
• You then take it in turns to move, picking off each other's pieces by landing on squares they occupy. You have to think ahead in order not to put your own pieces in jeopardy.
• The aim is to put the square occupied by your opponent's king under direct threat of being captured by your next move. This is called putting the king "in check".
• If you target the king in such a way that your opponent can’t move him in any direction without you knocking him out you have “checkmate” and win the game.
• If neither you nor your opponent can make a move to win, the game ends on a "stalemate".

You need to use the skills of strategy and patience when playing Chess. This logical game is not only fun to play in itself but helps develop these skills in general.