;
; Setup
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"Hello.  This animated chess tutorial
will show you everything you need
to know to start playing chess.
"
P05
"Press Ctrl-W to pause the tutorial at any time.
Press the space bar to move ahead when you have read a message.
Try it now!
"
P20
"Now pay attention!
"
P03
"Chess is played on an 8 x 8 board of light and dark squares
"
P05
"Always turn the board so that a
light-colored square is in the lower-right corner.
"
P05
""Light on Right" is an easy way to remember this.
"
P05
U
DWPa4
DWPb4
DWPc4
DWPd4
DWPe4
DWPf4
DWPg4
DWPh4
"The rows of the chess board are called RANKS (1 to 8).
These Pawns are all on the fourth rank.
"
P10
U
C
DWPd1
DWPd2
DWPd3
DWPd4
DWPd5
DWPd6
DWPd7
DWPd8
"The columns of the board are called FILES (a to h).
These Pawns are all on the d-file.
"
P10
U
C
"To help you remember which is which, notice that RANK
and ROW both start with 'R'.
"
P10
"Chess is a war between two
opposing armies: White and Black.
"
P05
"Each army has a King, a Queen, two Rooks,
two Bishops, two Knights, and eight Pawns.
"
P10
"Let's start by setting up the White army
on our side of the board.
"
P10
"Put one Rook at each end of the first rank.
The Rook looks like a castle or tower.
"
P05
DWRa1
P01
DWRh1
P01
"Next to each Rook, place a Knight.
The Knights look like horses.
"
P05
DWNb1
P01
DWNg1
P01
"Add a Bishop next to each Knight.
You can tell the Bishop by the notch in his hat.
"
P05
DWBc1
P01
DWBf1
P01
"There are two empty squares
left on the near rank.
The Queen is placed on the square
that matches her dress.
"
P10
DWQd1
P01
"An easy way to remember where
the Queen goes is "Queen on Color".
(White Queen on a White square).
"
P10
"The King goes on the last empty square.
"
P05
DWKe1
P01
"At the front of the army go the Pawns,
or foot soldiers.
Put one Pawn directly in front of each piece.
"
DWPa2
P01
DWPb2
P01
DWPc2
P01
DWPd2
P01
DWPe2
P01
DWPf2
P01
DWPg2
P01
DWPh2
P01
"Now let's turn the board around
and quickly set up Black's pieces.
Black's pieces always start on the eigth rank.
"
P10
IT
"Two Black Rooks...
"
DBRa8
DBRh8
P05
"Two Black Knights...
"
DBNb8
DBNg8
P05
"Two Black Bishops...
"
DBBc8
DBBf8
P05
"Queen on Color! (Black Queen on Black Square)
"
DBQd8
P05
"The Black King
"
DBKe8
P05
"Pawns in front of pieces.
"
DBPa7
P01
DBPb7
P01
DBPc7
P01
DBPd7
P01
DBPe7
P01
DBPf7
P01
DBPg7
P01
DBPh7
"White always makes the first move in a game.
Let's rotate the board so that
White's pieces are in front of us.
"
P10
IB
"Now we're ready to play Chess!
"
P05
"Starting with White, each side takes turns moving.
"
P05
U
Se2e4
P02
Se7e5
P02
Kg1g3f3
P02
Kb8b6c6
P02
Sf1b5
P02
Sa7a6
P02
Sb5a4
P02
Kg8g6f6
P02
"As you can see, you are allowed to move only ONE piece on each turn.
"
P05
Z
;
; The Pieces - introduction
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** The Pieces - introduction ***
"
P05
"There are 6 different chess pieces...
"
P05
"Kings,
"
DWKe1
DBKe8
P05
C
"Queens,
"
DWQd1
DBQd8
P05
C
"Rooks,
"
DWRa1
DWRh1
DBRa8
DBRh8
P05
C
"Knights,
"
DWNb1
DWNg1
DBNb8
DBNg8
P05
C
"Bishops,
"
DWBc1
DWBf1
DBBc8
DBBf8
P05
C
"and Pawns.
"
DWPa2
DWPb2
DWPc2
DWPd2
DWPe2
DWPf2
DWPg2
DWPh2
DBPa7
DBPb7
DBPc7
DBPd7
DBPe7
DBPf7
DBPg7
DBPh7
P05
C
"Each piece has its own way of moving on the chess board.
"
P05
"To play chess, you must learn how each piece moves.
"
P05
U
C
Z
;
; The King
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** The King ***
"
DBKe8
DWKe1
P05
U
C
Q5
"The King is the most important chess piece.
"
P05
"If you capture your opponent's King, you WIN!!
"
P05
"If your King is captured, you lose!
"
P05
"Actually, the King is never really captured.
You win by showing that you could capture your opponent's King on your
next move, and there is no move your opponent can make to prevent
that from happening.
"
P15
"This situation is called CHECKMATE.
"
P05
"After we see how the other pieces move, we will return to the subject of
checkmate.
"
P05
"But first, let's look at how the King moves.
"
P05
C
U
DWKe2
GWKe3
GWKf3
GWKf2
GWKf1
GWKe1
GWKd1
GWKd2
GWKd3
"The King can move one square in any direction.
(The ghost Kings show the squares to which this White King can legally move.)
"
P10
"Important Rule #1: you may never move one of your pieces
(even the King) to a square occupied by another of your pieces.
"
P10
U
D--f2
DWPf2
"For example, the White King on e2 can move to every square EXCEPT
f2, which is occupied by another White piece (a Pawn).
"
P10
U
"Important Rule #2: If an OPPOSING piece occupies a square to which you
can move, you can CAPTURE the opposing piece by moving to that square, and
removing your opponent's piece from the board.
"
P15
D--e3
DBPe3
"For example, the White King can capture the Black Pawn on e3 because
the White King can move to that square.
"
P05
U
W
N3
Se2e3
"King takes (captures) Pawn.
"
P05
U
D--f2
GWKd4
GWKe4
GWKf4
GWKd3
GWKf3
GWKd2
GWKe2
GWKf2
"Although the King is the most important piece, it is also one of the weakest,
because it can't move very far in a single turn.
"
P05
"To win the game, the King must rely on the rest of his army.
"
P10
U
C
Z;
; How to move the Queen
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** The Queen ***
"
DBQd8
DWQd1
P05
U
C
Q2
DWQd4
GWQa4
GWQb4
GWQc4
GWQe4
GWQf4
GWQg4
GWQh4
"The Queen can move horizontally along a rank,
"
P05
U
W
GWQd1
GWQd2
GWQd3
GWQd5
GWQd6
GWQd7
GWQd8
"vertically on a file,
"
P05
;
; Draw diagonal ghosts
;
U
W
GWQa1
GWQb2
GWQc3
GWQe5
GWQf6
GWQg7
GWQh8
GWQa7
GWQb6
GWQc5
GWQe3
GWQf2
GWQg1
Q3
"or along either diagonal.
"
P05
U
W
GWQa4
GWQb4
GWQc4
GWQe4
DWPf4
Q4
"The Queen cannot move OVER another piece (of either color).
Here the White Queen is blocked
by the White Pawn on f4, and cannot reach g4 or h4.
"
P10
U
GWQd5
GWQd6
DBPd7
"This Black Pawn blocks the White Queen as well.
"
P05
"Like the King, the Queen may capture the Black Pawn by
moving to the square it occupies (but no farther).
"
P10
U
W
Sd4d7
"Queen takes Pawn.
"
N3
P05
U
C
DWQd4
; Diagonal Ghosts
GWQa1
GWQb2
GWQc3
GWQe5
GWQf6
GWQg7
GWQh8
GWQa7
GWQb6
GWQc5
GWQe3
GWQf2
GWQg1
; Horizontal Ghosts
GWQa4
GWQb4
GWQc4
GWQe4
GWQf4
GWQg4
GWQh4
; Vertical Ghosts
GWQd1
GWQd2
GWQd3
GWQd5
GWQd6
GWQd7
GWQd8
Q1
"The Queen is a very powerful piece because of its ability to
attack so many squares simultaneously.
"
P10
U
C
Z
;
; How to move the Rook
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** The Rook ***
"
DWRa1
DBRa8
DWRh1
DBRh8
P05
U
C
DWRd4
GWRa4
GWRb4
GWRc4
GWRe4
GWRf4
GWRg4
GWRh4
Q1
"The Rook moves horizontally along ranks...
"
P05
U
W
GWRd1
GWRd2
GWRd3
GWRd5
GWRd6
GWRd7
GWRd8
Q2
"and vertically along files.
"
P05
U
GWRa4
GWRb4
GWRc4
GWRe4
GWRf4
GWRg4
GWRh4
D--d7
D--d8
DBPd6
Q4
"The Rook cannot move OVER another piece (of either color).
Here the White Rook is blocked
by the Black Pawn on d6, and cannot reach d7 or d8.
"
P10
U
"When blocked by an OPPONENT's piece, the Rook may capture it by
moving to the square it occupies.
"
P05
U
D--d1
D--d2
D--d3
D--a4
D--b4
D--c4
D--e4
D--f4
D--g4
D--h4
D--d5
D--a4
D--b4
D--c4
D--e4
D--f4
D--g4
D--h4
Sd4d6
"Rook takes Pawn.
"
N3
P05
U
C
DWRd4
; Vertical Ghosts
GWRd1
GWRd2
GWRd3
GWRd5
GWRd6
GWRd7
GWRd8
; Horizontal Ghosts
GWRa4
GWRb4
GWRc4
GWRe4
GWRf4
GWRg4
GWRh4
"Like the Queen, the Rook is a strong piece because of its ability to
attack several squares simultaneously.
"
P10
U
C
Z
;
; How to move the Bishop
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** The Bishop ***
"
DWBc1
DBBc8
DWBf1
DBBf8
P05
;
; Draw diagonal ghosts
;
U
C
DWBd4
GWBa1
GWBb2
GWBc3
GWBe5
GWBf6
GWBg7
GWBh8
GWBa7
GWBb6
GWBc5
GWBe3
GWBf2
GWBg1
Q1
"The Bishop moves along either diagonal.
"
P05
"Notice that the Bishop always moves to squares of the same
color as the one it starts on.
"
P05
"This White Bishop is restricted to diagonals made up of DARK squares.
"
P05
U
W
D--d4
GBBb1
GBBc2
GBBd3
DBBe4
GBBf5
GBBg6
GBBh7
GBBa8
GBBb7
GBBc6
GBBd5
GBBf3
GBBg2
GBBh1
"This Black Bishop is restricted to diagonals made up of LIGHT squares.
"
P05
U
W
D--d4
D--e4
DWBc1
DBBc8
DWBf1
DBBf8
Q5
"Each side begins the game with two Bishops: one that moves on light-colored
squares and one that moves on dark-colored squares.
"
P05
U
GWBb2
GWBa3
GWBd2
GWBe3
GWBf4
GWBg5
GWBh6
Q1
"White's DARK-diagonal Bishop
"
P05
U
W
GWBg2
GWBh3
GWBe2
GWBd3
GWBc4
GWBb5
GWBa6
"White's LIGHT-diagonal Bishop
"
P05
U
W
GBBb7
GBBa6
GBBd7
GBBe6
GBBf5
GBBg4
GBBh3
Q3
"Black's LIGHT-diagonal Bishop
"
P05
U
W
GBBg7
GBBh6
GBBe7
GBBd6
GBBc5
GBBb4
GBBa3
"Black's DARK-diagonal Bishop
"
P05
U
W
D--c1
D--c8
D--f8
Q5
"Like the Queen, the Bishop cannot move over another piece.
"
P05
U
GWBg2
GWBh3
GWBe2
GWBd3
DBRc4
Q2
"Here the Black Rook blocks the White Bishop from reaching b5 and a6.
"
P10
U
"As usual, if the blocking piece belongs to the opposing color, the
Bishop can capture it simply by moving to that square.
"
P05
U
D--g2
D--h3
D--e2
D--d3
Sf1c4
"Bishop takes Rook.
"
N3
P05
U
C
DWBd4
GWBa1
GWBb2
GWBc3
GWBe5
GWBf6
GWBg7
GWBh8
GWBa7
GWBb6
GWBc5
GWBe3
GWBf2
GWBg1
"Because it attacks fewer squares, and is restricted to light or dark
squares, the Bishop is a weaker piece than the Queen or Rook.
"
P10
U
C
Z
;
; How to move the Knight
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** The Knight ***
"
DWNb1
DWNg1
DBNb8
DBNg8
P05
; draw ghosts
;
U
C
Q1
DWNd4
"The Knight makes L-shaped moves.  Two squares along a rank or file,
and then one square at a right angle.
"
P10
U
"For example, two squares along the fourth rank...
"
Sd4b4
P05
"and one square at a right angle along the b-file.
(We could also have moved to b5.)
"
Sb4b3
P05
"Or, two squares along a file...
"
Sb3b5
P05
"and then one square along the fifth rank.
(We could also have moved to a5.)
"
Sb5c5
P05
D--c5
"Here are all the squares that this Knight (on d4) can reach.
"
DWNd4
GWNc6
GWNe6
GWNc2
GWNe2
GWNf5
GWNf3
GWNb5
GWNb3
P05
U
"Notice that the Knight always lands on a square of a different
color from the one it starts on.
"
P10
"The Knight is special: it jumps OVER pieces.
"
P05
DBRc6
DWPb3
"As always, you cannot move the Knight to a square containing another
piece of the same color (e.g. b3),
"
P10
"But you can capture an opponent's piece that occupies the destination square.
"
P05
W
Kd4d6c6
N3
"Knight takes Rook.
"
P05
U
D--b3
GWNd8
GWNb8
GWNb4
GWNd4
GWNa5
GWNa7
GWNe5
GWNe7
Q4
"The Knight, like the Bishop, is considered to be less powerful than the
Queen or Rook.  Even though it attacks fewer squares than a Bishop,
its jumping ability makes it a valuable piece.
"
P10
U
C
Z
;
; How to move the Pawn
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** The Pawn ***
"
DWPa2
DWPb2
DWPc2
DWPd2
DWPe2
DWPf2
DWPg2
DWPh2
DBPa7
DBPb7
DBPc7
DBPd7
DBPe7
DBPf7
DBPg7
DBPh7
P05
U
C
D--d4
DWPa2
DWPb2
DWPc2
DWPd2
DWPe2
DWPf2
DWPg2
DWPh2
"All White Pawns start from the second rank.
"
P05
C
DBPa7
DBPb7
DBPc7
DBPd7
DBPe7
DBPf7
DBPg7
DBPh7
"All Black Pawns start from the seventh rank.
"
P05
U
DWPa2
DWPb2
DWPc2
DWPd2
DWPe2
DWPf2
DWPg2
DWPh2
"Pawns always move towards the opposite side of the board.
"
P03
U
GWPe3
GWPe4
Q1
"From its starting square, a Pawn may travel one or two squares forward.
"
P05
U
; ghost and slide e2-e4
"Two squares...
"
Se2e4
DWPe4
D--e3
P01
U
; ghost and slide d7-d6
GBPd6
GBPd5
P01
"One Square...
"
Sd7d6
DBPd6
D--d5
P01
U
; ghost and slide f2-f3
GWPf3
GWPf4
P01
"One Square...
"
Sf2f3
DWPf3
D--f4
P01
U
; ghost and slide e7-e5
GBPe6
GBPe5
P01
"Two squares...
"
Se7e5
DBPe5
D--e6
P01
"The first time a Pawn is moved, it's the player's choice.
"
P05
GWPf4
"A Pawn which has already moved, like the one on f3, may only move
one square forward per move.
"
P07
D--f4
Sf3f4
P02
U
C
DBRe5
DWPe4
"Unlike other pieces, the Pawn cannot capture an opposing piece which lies
in its path.
"
P05
"Here, the White Pawn cannot capture the Black Rook.
"
P05
U
D--e4
D--e5
DBPf5
DWQf4
DWNe4
DWRg4
"A Pawn can only capture a piece which occupies one
of the two squares diagonally in front of it.
"
P05
U
GWNe4
GWRg4
"Here, the Black Pawn can capture either the White Rook or White Knight...
"
P05
"but not the White Queen.
"
P05
U
D--e4
D--g4
DWNe4
DWRg4
P01
Sf5e4
N3
"Pawn takes Knight.
"
P05
"Pawns are the least valuable piece.  But don't throw them away thoughtlessly.
A single Pawn can sometimes mean the difference between winning and losing!
"
P10
U
C
Z
;
; Summary of piece movement
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"Here is a quick summary of what we've learned about the chess pieces.
"
P05
"Important Rule #1: you may never move one of your pieces
to a square occupied by another of your pieces.
"
P10
U
"Important Rule #2: If an OPPOSING piece occupies a square to which you
can move, you can CAPTURE the opposing piece by moving to that square, and
removing your opponent's piece from the board.
"
P15
U
DWKe4
GWKd5
GWKe5
GWKf5
GWKd4
GWKf4
GWKd3
GWKe3
GWKf3
Q2
"The King moves one square in any direction.
"
P10
U
W
DWQd4
; horizontal ghosts
GWQa4
GWQb4
GWQc4
GWQe4
GWQf4
GWQg4
GWQh4
; vertical ghosts
GWQd1
GWQd2
GWQd3
GWQd5
GWQd6
GWQd7
GWQd8
; diagonal ghosts
GWQa1
GWQb2
GWQc3
GWQe5
GWQf6
GWQg7
GWQh8
GWQa7
GWQb6
GWQc5
GWQe3
GWQf2
GWQg1
"The Queen moves along ranks, files, and diagonals.
"
P10
U
W
DWRd4
; horizontal ghosts
GWRa4
GWRb4
GWRc4
GWRe4
GWRf4
GWRg4
GWRh4
; vertical ghosts
GWRd1
GWRd2
GWRd3
GWRd5
GWRd6
GWRd7
GWRd8
"The Rook moves along ranks and files.
"
P10
U
W
DWBd4
; diagonal ghosts
GWBa1
GWBb2
GWBc3
GWBe5
GWBf6
GWBg7
GWBh8
GWBa7
GWBb6
GWBc5
GWBe3
GWBf2
GWBg1
"The Bishop moves along light or dark diagonals.
"
P10
U
W
DWNd4
; Knight ghosts
;
GWNc6
GWNe6
GWNc2
GWNe2
GWNf5
GWNf3
GWNb5
GWNb3
"The Knight makes L-shaped moves.  Two squares along a rank or file,
and then one square at a right angle.
"
P10
U
W
DWPd4
GWPd5
"Pawns normally move one square towards the opposite side of the board,
except when capturing.
"
P05
U
D--d5
GBPc5
GBPe5
"Pawns move forward, but capture DIAGONALLY!!  All the other pieces capture
the same way they move.
"
P05
U
C
DWPe2
GWPe3
GWPe4
"The FIRST time it is moved, a Pawn may travel one or two squares forward.
"
P10
U
C
W
Q5
"Except for special moves (castling, promotion, and en passant captures),
that's all there is to know about moving the various chess pieces.
"
P10
U
C
Z;
; Check and Checkmate
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** Check and Checkmate ***
"
P05
DWKe3
DBKe8
DBRh5
DBNb8
DWQf1
"If it is your turn to move, and your King could be captured on your opponent's
next move, you are IN CHECK.
"
P10
U
Sf1b5
Q5
"Check
"
N2
P03
Q4
"Here, the White Queen threatens to capture the Black King, so Black
is in check.
"
P05
Q5
"If your King is in check, your very next move MUST remove the threat.
"
P05
"There are 3 ways to remove a threat to your King.
"
P05
"1) Move your King to a square which is not attacked by your opponent.
"
P03
U
N0
Se8f8
P02
"Or...
"
N0
Sf8e8
P02
"2) Capture the threatening piece with one of your pieces.
"
P03
U
N3
Sh5b5
P02
Q2
"Or...
"
N0
Sb5h5
DWQb5
Q5
P02
"3) Block the threat by moving one of your other pieces.
"
P03
U
Kb8d8d7
N0
P02
U
N0
Kd7d8b8
P01
"If you cannot do one of these 3 things, you are CHECKMATED and
you have lost the game.
"
P05
U
C
; White's Starting Position
DWRa1
DWNb1
DWBc1
DWQd1
DWKe1
DWBf1
DWNg1
DWRh1
DWPa2
DWPb2
DWPc2
DWPd2
DWPe2
DWPf2
DWPg2
DWPh2
; Black's Starting Position
DBRa8
DBNb8
DBBc8
DBQd8
DBKe8
DBBf8
DBNg8
DBRh8
DBPa7
DBPb7
DBPc7
DBPd7
DBPe7
DBPf7
DBPg7
DBPh7
"Here is a very simple example (known as the Fool's Mate)...
"
P05
U
Sf2f3
P02
Se7e5
P02
Sg2g4
P02
N4
Sd8h4
Q1
"Checkmate, Black wins!
"
P05
"White cannot move his King out of check,
capture Black's Queen, or block the
Black Queen's attack on e1, so White is checkmated, and Black wins.
"
P10
Q5
"The object of the game is to checkmate your opponent, while avoiding
being checkmated yourself.
"
P10
U
C
DBKe8
DBRh2
DWKe1
Q5
"By the way: you are not allowed to move INTO check.
In other words, you cannot make a move which allows your opponent
to capture your King.
"
P10
"For example, the White King cannot move to e2, d2, or f2.
"
P05
"All those moves would allow Black's Rook to capture the
White King immediately.
White would be giving up by making such a move.
"
P10
"If you are certain that you cannot win, you may RESIGN, rather
than waiting for your opponent to checkmate you.
This says to your opponent, "OK, you win!"
"
P10
U
C
Z

;
; Stalemate
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** Stalemate ***
"
P05
"A STALEMATE occurs when the side to move is not in check,
AND all possible moves place that side in check.
"
P10
"Since it is illegal to move into check, the side to move cannot move,
BUT the side to move is not in check, so it's not checkmate.
"
P10
"The result: STALEMATE, which is considered to be a draw
(neither side wins).
"
P05
U
DWKf3
DWRg7
DBKh2
"Here's an example. (Assume it is White's turn to move.)
"
P08
"White starts by making a bad move...
"
P03
U
Sg7g2
N2
"Check
"
P03
"Black is in check, so he must move out of the way.
"
P05
U
Sh2h1
P02
"White now makes another bad move.
"
P03
U
Sf3f2
P02
"It is now Black's turn.  The only possible moves (King to h2 or g1)
would put his King in check, which is illegal.
"
P10
"Since Black cannot move, but is not in check...
"
P05
N5
"Stalemate
"
P05
"Black was lucky.
White SHOULD have won this game with King and Rook against King.
"
P05
U
C
DWKf3
DWRg7
DBKh2
"Here's how:
"
P03
"White starts by moving:
"
P03
U
Sg7g3
P02
"Black's only legal move is:
"
P03
U
Sh2h1
P02
"White responds with:
"
P03
U
Sg3h3
N2
"Check
"
P02
"Again, Black has only one legal move:
"
P03
U
Sh1g1
P03
"Here's the tricky part: White needs to "waste" one move so that Black will
be forced into a desired position (this is called temporizing).
"
P10
"White temporizes with:
"
P02
Sh3h4
P02
"Black is forced to move:
"
P03
U
Sg1f1
P02
"And now White wins with:
"
P01
U
Sh4h1
N4
"Checkmate
"
P05
"A good chess player must understand checkmate AND stalemate.
In this example, Black avoided a certain loss because White did
not see the possibility of a stalemate.
"
P10
U
C
Z
;
; En Passant
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** Special Moves: En Passant ***
"
P05
"En Passant is a special type of capture move for Pawns ONLY.
"
P05
U
DWPe4
GWP
DBPf7
"Suppose you have just moved your White Pawn to e5
"
P05
U
D--e5
Se4e5
P01
"and your opponent replies by moving his Pawn two squares forward to f5,
landing next to you.
"
P05
U
Sf7f5
P01
Q4
"In this case, you are allowed to capture his Pawn EN PASSANT (in passing),
by moving your Pawn diagonally behind him on your very next move.
"
P05
U
N3
Se5f6
Q1
"Pawn takes Pawn, en passant
"
P01
D--f5
P03
U
C
Q5
"You may capture en passant ONLY when your opponent has moved his Pawn
two squares forward on the previous move.
"
P05
U
D--f6
DWPa2
DBPb4
"Here is an example of Black capturing White's Pawn en passant.
"
P05
U
Sa2a4
P01
"White has just moved his Pawn two squares forward.
"
P05
U
N3
Sb4a3
P01
D--a4
P01
"And the Black Pawn captures on the very next move by moving diagonally
behind the White Pawn.
"
P05
C
"This is a useful move when your opponent tries to sneak his Pawn past yours
by moving two squares.
"
P05
"But remember: if you wish to capture en passant, you must do so on your
very next move.
"
P10
U
C
Z
;
; Castling
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** Special Moves: Castling ***
"
P05
; draw King and Rooks
DWKe1
DWRa1
DWRh1
"Castling is a special move involving the King and either Rook.
"
P05
; show King destination squares
GWKg1
GWKc1
"The basic move involves moving the King two squares towards the Rook.
"
P05
U
; erase Queenside destination, and slide Kingside
D--c1
Se1g1
DWKg1
P01
"The Rook is then placed on the other side of the King.
"
Sh1f1
P05
D--f1
D--g1
DWKe1
DWRh1
"Castling may be performed with either Rook.
"
; show King destination squares
GWKg1
GWKc1
P03
U
D--g1
Se1c1
DWKc1
Sa1d1
P02
C
DWKe1
DWRa1
DWRh1
GWKg1
"If the King is moved towards the nearer Rook (on the King's side of the board)...
"
P05
U
D--g1
Se1g1
Sh1f1
P01
"It is called CASTLING KINGSIDE (written O-O)
"
P05
U
D--f1
D--g1
GWKc1
DWKe1
DWRh1
"If the King is moved towards the other Rook (on the Queen's side of the board)...
"
P05
U
D--c1
Se1c1
Sa1d1
P01
"It is called CASTLING QUEENSIDE (written O-O-O)
"
P05
U
D--c1
D--d1
DWKe1
DWRa1
"To be legal, the King and Rook must have never moved from their starting
squares...
"
P05
"The squares between the King and Rook must be unoccupied...
"
P05
"The King cannot be in check...
"
P05
"And the square which the King passes over cannot be under attack.
Of course, the King can never be moved INTO check, so the destination can't be
under attack either.
"
P10
"It is usually a good idea to castle early in the game, as it protects
the King and gives the Rook a chance to control the center files.
"
P10
U
C
Z
;
; Promotion
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** Special Moves: Promotion ***
"
P05
DWKa1
DWPe2
DBKb8
DBPa7
"When a Pawn reaches the opposite side of the Board...
"
P05
U
Se2e4
P01
Sa7a5
P01
Se4e5
P01
Sb8b7
P01
Se5e6
P01
Sb7b6
P01
Se6e7
P01
Sa5a4
P01
Se7e8
"It must be PROMOTED to a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight.
"
P01
N1
DWQe8
P05
"Normally, you will choose to promote your Pawn to a Queen.
"
P05
U
C
DBPa7
DBKh7
DBPh6
DWRg8
DWBe6
DWPf7
DWKe1
"Promoting a pawn to a Piece other than a Queen is referred to
as UNDERPROMOTION.
"
P05
"Here, White underpromotes a Pawn to a Knight to achieve Checkmate.
"
P05
Sf7f8
P01
DWNf8
N4
"Checkmate.
"
P05
U
C
DWKe1
DBKe8
DBPa4
"Because of promotion, an opponent's Pawn which is unopposed is a
dangerous threat.
"
P05
"Here, the White King is too far away to capture the Black Pawn.
"
P05
U
Sa4a3
P01
Se1d1
P01
Sa3a2
P01
Sd1c1
P01
Sa2a1
N1
P01
DBQa1
"Black can now win the game with ease.
"
P05
"Remember: only Pawns can be promoted.
This makes them more valuable than they might seem at first glance.
A promotion can instantly change the balance of power in a game.
"
P10
"By the way: You may promote a Pawn to a Queen even if you already have one
(or more) on the board.
It is possible (but unlikely in the extreme)
to promote all eight of your Pawns to other pieces.
"
P10
U
C
Z
;
; Algebraic Notation
;
X2
IB
C
A1
Q5
"*** Algebraic Notation ***
"
P05
"Algebraic Notation is the generally accepted method of writing down
the moves in a chess game.
"
P05
"It is very easy to learn, and will increase your enjoyment of Chess.
"
P05
"To describe a move in algebraic notation, start by writing down the
letter of the piece that is moving.
"
P05
DWKe3
"K for a King
"
P05
DWQe3
"Q for a Queen
"
P05
DWRe3
"R for a Rook
"
P05
DWBe3
"B for a Bishop
"
P05
DWNe3
"N for a Knight
"
P05
DWPe3
"If a Pawn is moving, don't write down anything.
"
P05
"Then, write down the file (a - h) and rank (1 - 8) of
that piece's destination square.
"
P10
C
; White's Starting Position
DWRa1
DWNb1
DWBc1
DWQd1
DWKe1
DWBf1
DWNg1
DWRh1
DWPa2
DWPb2
DWPc2
DWPd2
DWPe2
DWPf2
DWPg2
DWPh2
; Black's Starting Position
DBRa8
DBNb8
DBBc8
DBQd8
DBKe8
DBBf8
DBNg8
DBRh8
DBPa7
DBPb7
DBPc7
DBPd7
DBPe7
DBPf7
DBPg7
DBPh7
"Let's see how this might work for the first few moves of a real game
"
P05
"White opens by moving his Pawn to square e4, so we write
"
P05
U
Se2e4
"e4
"
P05
"Black responds by moving his Pawn to square e5, so we write
"
P05
U
Se7e5
"e5
"
P05
"White moves his Knight to square f3, so we write
"
P05
U
Kg1g3f3
"Nf3
"
P05
"and Black moves his Knight to square c6, so we write
"
P05
U
Kb8b6c6
"Nc6
"
P05
" White attacks by moving his Bishop to b5, so we write
"
P05
U
Sf1b5
"Bb5
"
P05
"Black threatens that Bishop by moving his Pawn from a7 to a6
"
P05
U
Sa7a6
"a6
"
P05
"And White moves the Bishop out of harm's way
"
P05
U
Sb5a4
"Ba4
"
P05
"Black takes this opportunity to develop his other Knight
"
P05
U
Kg8g6f6
"Nf6
"
P05
"Algebraic notation uses an 'x' to indicate a capture.
"
P05
"For example, using the White Bishop to capture the Black Knight
on square c6 would be written as
"
P10
U
Sa4c6
N3
"Bxc6
"
P05
"When a Pawn makes a capture, we also write down the file it starts on...
"
P05
U
Sd7c6
N3
"dxc6 (the Pawn started on the d-file)
"
P05
"Going back to our game, White moves his d-Pawn one square forward...
"
P05
U
Sd2d3
"d3
"
P05
"And Black responds by giving check with his Bishop...
"
P05
U
Sf8b4
N2
"Check
"
P05
"When a move places the other side in check, we put a '+' at the end.
So this move would be written as...
"
P05
"Bb4+
"
P05
"Sometimes, identical pieces can move to the same square.
"
P05
U
GWNd2
"For example, White can remove the threat to his King by moving a Knight
to d2
"
P05
"Unfortunately, Nd2 doesn't tell us which White Knight was moved.
(Was it the Knight on f3 or the Knight on b1?)
"
P10
"When identical pieces can move to the same square, algebraic notation
tells us to do the following...
"
P10
"If both pieces start on the SAME file, put the staring rank (1 - 8) right
after the name of the piece.
"
P10
"Otherwise, put the starting file (a - h) right after the name of the piece.
"
P10
"In this case, the two White Knights are on DIFFERENT files, so we write
"
P05
U
W
Kf3d3d2
"Nfd2 (starting file after the piece name)
"
P05
"Castling Kingside is written O-O.  Castling Queenside is written as O-O-O
"
P05
U
Se8g8
Sh8f8
"O-O (Black castles kingside)
"
P05
U
Se1g1
Sh1f1
"O-O (White castles kingside)
"
P10
U
C
DBKc8
DWKe1
DWPe7
DWRh1
DWRa6
"When a promotion occurs, we write the letter of the new piece at the end
of the move
"
P05
U
Se7e8
P01
N2
DWQe8
"e8Q+ (the new Queen checks the Black King)
"
P05
U
Sc8c7
"Kc7
"
P05
"When a move causes checkmate, we write an extra '+' at the end of it.
"
P05
U
Sh1h7
N4
"Rh7++
"
P10
"Now you have all the information you need to read and understand chess games
which have been recorded using Algebraic Notation.  Enjoy!!
"
P10
U
C
Z
