Chess is one of the most common board games that is played by two players at a time, if not the most famous. This game is very well-known for its capability to hone minds of players because players use their own strategies in order to win the game depending on the movements of their challengers.
Even so, you will not be able to play chess without chess pieces. But before we discussed the different chess pieces let us first find out how this game started.
History of Chess
Even though there are many debate and controversy on its real origin, if we believed on what scholars say, Chess originated in India. It is also believed that the game is inspired by another game known as “Chaturanga.”
This term is basically of Sanskrit derivation and it was translated into English which means the separations of the Indian Army in four various parts namely, infantry, cavalry, chariots, and elephants.
In fact, this is the main reason why chess pieces came into reality and each piece was given dissimilar power. But the highest power was vested in the king. Usually, these pieces are carve using stone and wood. But in today’s day and age chess pieces are made from a different variety of materials.
How many Chess Pieces are there in a Chess Set?
Basically, every player gets to play the game with 16 chess pieces. The chess pieces, on the other hand, comes in two different colors that are usually black and white.
The whole chess piece is divided into two categories the minor pieces and major pieces. And each has their own name. The major pieces are the Rook and Queen, while the minor pieces are the Knight and Bishop. Whereas the Pawns can be categorized as minor or major pieces.
Each player of the game has one king, one queen, two bishops, knights, and rooks, and eight pawns. Each chess piece is allotted with a particular number of points whereas the King has unlimited points, the rook is given with five points, the knight and bishop are awarded five points, and each pawn is held one point.
The Different Chess Pieces
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The King
It is the most important piece on the chess board. If this piece was eaten by your opponent definitely the game is over. Even so, this piece can only move one space but in any direction.
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The Queen
If the king is the most important piece, then the queen is considered as the most powerful piece. This piece is positioned beside the king. However, when the queen is lost, the game is not yet over. But if you’re challenger has a queen, you may possibly find yourself at an extensive drawback.
Similar to the king you can move this piece in any direction but the difference is that the queen can be moved in several numbers of boxes unless it is not blocked by another piece.
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The Bishop
Each player has two pieces of Bishops that is placed next to the king and queen. These pieces can be moved diagonally. One bishop begins on a white box while the other one begins on black/green square.
It can also move several numbers of boxes diagonally as long as they’re not blocked with another chess piece.
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The Knight
Every player will have two pieces of knights that are positioned between the Rook and Bishop. Actually, the Knights have the unique trait and they move in “L” shape.
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The Rook (Castle)
Just like knights and bishops, every player has two rooks that are set at the corners of the chess board. These pieces move down and up in as well as can move several numbers of spaces.
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The Pawn
Every player has its own eight pawns and these pieces have several distinct attributes. These pieces provide the first line of the guard for the major pieces especially the king.
During the first move, every player has the choice to move their pawn one or two spaces forward. But after this move, they are only allowed to move their pawn one space ahead. Nevertheless, this piece can never move back and can only capture other pieces diagonally.
Conclusion
Chess is a game of skill and strategy being familiar with every piece and its purpose and capability give your creative and strategic mind the idea to formulate your winning move.
Learning and being great with chess takes time and patience, but like most sports time invested will manifest later on through progress. Keep On Playing!