If you are just learning from the beginning it is probably best to scroll down and follow the pages as laid out here. If , at any time, you want to check on how a particular piece moves, click its name on the brown bar or the black bar.
The rules of Chess.
Indicating squares
First let us see how to set up the chess board if you are playing white. Turn the board so that the white corner is at your right. Remember "white's right". This is important because you are not playing proper chess if the white corner is on your left. If there are letters and numbers along the sides of the board then make sure that the letters are running across the edge of the board facing you from left to right a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h. The first diagram shows this.
The numbers should run along the edges of the board and if you are white you want the two 1's to be nearest to you and the two 8 's furthest away. If the two 8's are nearest to you then turn the board around through 180 degrees so the 1's are nearest.
(If you are playing black, the white corner should still be at the right hand side but the letters will read from left to right "h,g,f,e,d,c,b,a" and the two 8's will be nearest to you.)
Chess diagrams are shown with the white player at the bottom.
The second diagram shows how the squares are numbered and lettered.
In chess we sometimes talk about ranks and files. A rank is a row of squares running across the board. The squares a1,b1,c1,d1,el,f1,g1,h1 make up the first rank. Squares a2-h2 make up the second rank and so on.
A file is a column of squares running up the board. The a file is made up of squares a1,a2,a3,a4,a5,a6,a7,a8. Squares b1-b8 make up the b file etc.
How the pieces and the pawns move.
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