Junior Chess

1. The Board and Pieces

The chessboard has 64 squares (8Ă—8), alternating light and dark colors.
Each player starts with 16 pieces:

  • 1 King
  • 1 Queen
  • 2 Rooks
  • 2 Bishops
  • 2 Knights
  • 8 Pawns

2. Objective

The goal is to checkmate your opponent’s King, meaning the King is under attack and has no legal move to escape.

3. How the Pieces Move

  • King: Moves one square in any direction.
  • Queen: Moves any number of squares in any direction—vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.
  • Rook: Moves any number of squares vertically or horizontally.
  • Bishop: Moves any number of squares diagonally.
  • Knight: Moves in an “L” shape (two squares in one direction, then one square perpendicular). It can jump over other pieces.
  • Pawn: Moves forward one square, but captures diagonally. On its first move, a pawn may move forward two squares.

4. Special Moves

  • Castling: A move involving the King and a Rook to improve safety.

    • Conditions: Neither piece has moved before, no pieces between them, and the King is not in or moving through check.

  • Promotion: When a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board, it must be promoted to a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight (usually a Queen).

  • En Passant: A special pawn capture that can occur when an opponent's pawn moves two squares forward and lands next to your pawn.

5. Draw Conditions

A game may end in a draw in several ways:

  • Stalemate: A player has no legal moves and is not in check.
  • Threefold Repetition: The same board position occurs three times.
  • Fifty-Move Rule: No pawn movement or capture in the last fifty moves.
  • Insufficient Material: Neither player has enough material to checkmate.

Ready to play? Let the game begin!