It is the game of kings. It is the ultimate game for strategy and tactics. It is the best game for you to train your brain and sharpen your memory. Indeed, there is no better game out there that can engage your brain as powerfully and as deeply as
chess.
Chess is a one on one game played between two players. The main objective of each player is to “check mate” the “king” of the other player.
At the start of the game, each player has 16 chess pieces for his set: a king, a queen, a couple of bishops, a couple of knights (or horses), a pair of rooks, and eight pawns. The two sets are color coded; one set is usually colored white while the other is colored black, in order to differentiate the pieces under each player’s control.
Each piece has its own unique characteristics in terms of how it can move across the chess board. The king can move to any square on the chess board that is immediately next to it, that is, the king can only move one square at a time. The queen, on the other hand, can move to any square on the chess board regardless of how many squares it takes as long as the destination square is on its rank (horizontal), file (vertical), or diagonal way.
The bishop can also move in any number of squares. The direction of its movement however, can only be in the diagonal, it can not move in the rank and file. In contrast, the rook can move any number of squares through its rank and file. It cannot, however, move across the board through diagonal directions. The pawns can only move one square at a time (except on their first move, where they can “jump” to two squares) and in only one direction – forward. Finally, the knight moves in an “L” shaped pattern. It should always move two squares in any direction (rank or file) and then move one square to the side of that square. This means that the knight can only move to any of the closest squares that are not in its rank, file, or diagonal way. The knight is somewhat special because it is the only piece in chess that can “jump” over other pieces.
Because of these unique movements and characteristics, there are an incredible amount of different combinations that a player can come up with in order for him to check mate his opponent. Of course, the other player has the same options available to him too. In the “opening” stage of the game alone, there are already many different types of attacks and defenses that a player can choose to engage in.
It is this innumerable amount of combinations of these moves for attacks and defenses that make chess such an impressive game of strategy and tactics. There are so many moves and counter moves available to each player that is why the game is such an effective brain training exercise.
