Chess

History
Chess can tell you a great deal about the way people
lived in medieval times. If you look at the way a
chessboard is set up and study the pieces and how they
are used, you will realize that chess is a miniature history
of medieval times. The six different chess pieces on the
board represent a cross section of medieval life with its
many ceremonies, grandeur and wars.
History
Chess was played many centuries ago in China, India
and Persia, but theories vary about its specific country
of origin. Through a series of invasions, chess quickly
spread throughout all of Europe. Europeans gave chess
pieces the names we know today, to reflect the way they
lived. The names represent the way in which both
ordinary people and persons of rank lived their lives.
Symbolism of Chess Pieces
Pawns
Represent serfs or laborers.
Often sacrificed to protect more
valuable pieces.
Reflects the harsh life of
medieval serfs, considered
property of landowners.
Symbolism of Chess Pieces
Castle (Rooks)
Represent homes or refuges in
medieval times.
Each side has two castles.
Symbolism of Chess Pieces
Knights
Symbolize professional soldiers
protecting persons of rank.
More important than pawns but less
than bishops, kings, or queens.
Purpose is to protect more critical
pieces and can be sacrificed.
Symbolism of Chess Pieces
Bishops
Represent the church.
Reflect the influence of religion in
medieval life.
Two bishops on each side.
Symbolism of Chess Pieces
Queens
Sole representation of women in
chess.
The most powerful piece.
Reflects the powerful yet precarious
position of medieval queens.
Often played games of intrigue at
court.
Symbolism of Chess Pieces
Kings
Tallest and most well-defended piece.
Surrender of the king meant the loss of
the kingdom in medieval times.
The most important but not the most
powerful piece in chess.
Protecting the king is crucial; failure
results in losing the game.
Chaturanga
· the early chess
· invented in India (6th century CE)
· the modern chess pieces originally represented the military units
common in warfare:
o infantry (pawn)
o cavalry (knight)
o elephant (bishop)
o chariot (rook)
o counselor (queen)
o shah (king)
Chaturanga
· the game ended with shah mat (checkmate), or if all the
pieces of one army (except the king) were captured.

The game slowly spreads from India to Persia (7th

century CE). Then, during the Islamic conquest of Persia
to the west (1000 CE ago)—Europe, specifically,
Chaturanga slowly evolved into the modern chess that
we know.
Chaturanga
Isles of Lewis Chessman
·believed to have originated in Norway
and was unearthed at the isle of Lewis
(12th century)
·appeared in the movie, Harry Potter:
The Sorcerer’s Stone
·depicts special, individualised character:
Isles of Lewis Chessman
o king: sit with swords on their laps; some have long hair and beard,
some are clean-shaven
Isles of Lewis Chessman
o queen: seated on an elaborate throne, cradling their face in their
hands
Isles of Lewis Chessman
o bishop: holding a staff known as a crosier
Isles of Lewis Chessman
o knight: distinct headgear, carry different shields, and ride horses
with shaggy manes
Isles of Lewis Chessman
o warders (rooks): represented as foot soldiers, one bites the top of
his shield, barely containing his frenzied eagerness for battle
Meet the Mad Queen (1450)
·pawns were now allowed to advance two squares on their
first move
·familiar light and dark checkered pattern were standard for
the board
·MAD QUEEN: rules to allow the queen to move as far as she
wanted -- in any direction, diagonally, vertically, or
horizontally -- combining the movements of the bishop and
the rook
·“ésches de la dame enragée,” or “chess of the enraged lady” --
the “mad queen.”
William Steinitz
Father of Chess
William Steinitz
Early life education:
Born in Prague in 1836 to Jewish parents with
limited means.
Received little formal education but was
largely self-taught, focusing on science and
philosophy.
William Steinitz
Early Chess Enthusiasm:
Showed an early affinity for chess.
Started playing regularly in cafes during his
teenage years.
Why is William Steinitz Known as Father of Chess?

He was the first undisputed

World Chess Champion from
1886-1894, inaugurating the
World Championship tradition.
Why is William Steinitz Known as Father of Chess?

Steinitz introduced fundamental

concepts like pawn structures,
space advantage, outposts, and
passed pawns that transformed
strategies.
Why is William Steinitz Known as Father of Chess?

He influenced generations of
subsequent World Champions
who built upon his foundational
strategic principles.
Pieces and their
Functions
Pawn
Rook
Knight
Bishop
King
Queen
Rules and Basics
Discover the Special Rules of Chess
How to Promote a Pawn in Chess
How to Promote a Pawn in Chess Pawns have another special
ability and that is that if a pawn reaches the other side of the
board it can become any other chess piece (called
promotion). A pawn may be promoted to any piece. A
common misconception is that pawns may only be exchanged
for a piece that has been captured. That is NOT true. A pawn
is usually promoted to a queen. Only pawns may be promoted
Discover the Special Rules of Chess
How to Promote a Pawn in Chess
 Discover the Special Rules of Chess
How to do "en passant" in Chess
Thelast rule about pawns is called “en passant,” which is French for
“in passing”. If a pawn moves out two squares on its first move, and by
doing so lands to the side of an opponent's pawn (effectively jumping
past the other pawn's ability to capture it), that other pawn has the
option of capturing the first pawn as it passes by. This special move
must be done immediately after the first pawn has moved past,
otherwise the option to capture it is no longer available. Click through
the example below to better understand this odd, but important rule.
Discover the Special Rules of Chess
How to do "en passant" in Chess
Discover the Special Rules of Chess
Howto Castle in Chess
Oneother special chess rule is called castling. This move allows
you to do two important things all in one move: get your king to
safety (hopefully), and get your rook out of the corner and into
the game. On a player's turn he may move his king two squares
over to one side and then move the rook from that side's corner
to right next to the king on the opposite side. However, in order
to castle, the following conditions must be met:
Discover the Special Rules of Chess
Howto Castle in Chess
·it must be that king's very first move
·it must be that rook's very first move
·there cannot be any pieces between the king and rook to move
·the king may not be in check or pass through check
Discover the Special Rules of Chess
Howto Castle in Chess
Notice that when you castle one direction the king is closer to
the side of the board. That is called castling "kingside". Castling
to the other side, through where the queen sat, is called castling
"queenside". Regardless of which side, the king always moves
only two squares when castling.
Discover the Special Rules of Chess
Howto Castle in Chess
Find out Who Makes the First Move in Chess
The player with the white pieces always moves first.
Therefore, players generally decide who will get to be white
by chance or luck such as flipping a coin or having one
player guess the color of the hidden pawn in the other
player's hand. White then makes a move, followed by black,
then white again, then black and so on until the end of the
game. Being able to move first is a tiny advantage which
gives the white player an opportunity to attack right away.
How to Checkmate in Chess
Thepurpose of the game is to checkmate the opponent's
king. This happens when the king is put into check and
cannot get out of check. There are only three ways a king
can get out of check: move out of the way (though he
cannot castle!), block the check with another piece, or
capture the piece threatening the king. If a king cannot
escape checkmate then the game is over. Customarily the
king is not captured or removed from the board, the
game is simply declared over.
How to Checkmate in Chess
 How to Draw a Chess Game

Occasionally chess games do not end with

a winner, but with a draw. There are 5
reasons why a chess game may end in a
draw
How to Draw a Chess Game
·The position reaches a stalemate where it is one player's turn to move,
but his king is NOT in check and yet he does not have another legal
move
·The players may simply agree to a draw and stop playing
·There are not enough pieces on the board to force a checkmate
(example: a king and a bishop vs.a king)
·A player declares a draw if the same exact position is repeated three
times (though not necessarily three times in a row)
·Fifty consecutive moves have been played where neither player has
moved a pawn or captured a piece
Study Basic Chess Strategies

Protect your King!

Get your king to the corner of the board where he is usually safer. Don't
put off castling. You should usually castle as quickly as possible.
Remember, it doesn't matter how close you are to checkmating your
opponent if your own king is checkmated first!
 Don't Give Pieces Away

Don't carelessly lose your pieces! Each piece is valuable and

you can't win a game without pieces to checkmate. There is
an easy system that most players use to keep track of the
relative value of each chess piece. How much are the chess
pieces worth?
 Don't Give Pieces Away

·A pawn is worth 1
·A knight is worth 3
·A bishop is worth 3
·A rook is worth 5
·A queen is worth 9
·The king is infinitely valuable
 Don't Give Pieces Away

At the end of the game these points don't mean anything – it

is simply a system you can use to make decisions while
playing, helping you know when to capture, exchange, or
make other moves.
That`s All, Have Fun!