BLACK.

The Pawn is the only man which does not take in the direction it moves; for, whereas it moves only straight on (in right lines), it takes diagonally. In other words, the Pawn may be said to march, on ordinary occasions, like the Rook, except that it can neither move backward nor sidewise, nor can it advance more than one square at a move; but when the Pawn takes, it appears to borrow the power of the Bishop, and to take in the same manner, but only one square forward, diag. onally. Example being, however, better than precept, let us revert to the Chess-board :

We have here a white Pawn, which may take either the Queen or Knight, exactly as a Bishop would do, if seated in the square of the Pawn. But the Pawn cannot capture the Bishop, because he may not take straight forward. I suppose the white pieces to have occupied the lower half of the board, as in the first diagram, and the Pawn is, therefore, advancing up the board.

The Pawn can never capture any piece or Pawn, which is not thus placed on the first square of the fronting diagonal. When, therefore, the Pawn is advanced, on first starting, two

squares, it follows that he can never, on that move, take any of the adverse men. The Pawns may take each other, as well as the pieces take the Pawns; of course your own men cannot take each other.

LESSON IV.

CHECKING THE KING-CHECK-MATE-A CHESS PROBLEM EXPLAINED-VARIOUS KINDS OF CHECKS-SIMPLE CHECK-CHECK BY

CHECK-PERPETUAL

CHECK-DRAWN

DISCOVERY-DOUBLE
GAMES-VARIOUS KINDS OF MATE STALE-MATE-FOOL'S
MATE SCHOLAR'S MATE-SMOTHERED MATE.

BEFORE we proceed to play our first game of Chess it will be necessary to explain a few of the technical terms which are in constant use among Chess-players, as also the code of laws which regulates their proceedings.

The King is the principal character in the Chess-field; his person is sacred, and he can never be captured; he is nevertheless liable to the attacks of your adversary's pieces, which must be instantly warded off, for if being under attack he is unable by any means to escape therefrom, he is said to be check-mated, and the game is at an end. The grand object of Chess is therefore twofold, namely, to guard your own King from danger, while at the same time you form a systematic attack on your adversary's King.

out "

Whenever you make a direct attack upon the King, you must inform your adversary of the circumstance by calling check," and he must immediately attend to the warning and escape from check, or get out of check, by one of the three following methods:-1. By moving the King out of check. 2. By capturing the piece or Pawn that checks.

3. By interposing a piece or Pawn between the King and the checking piece; except in the case of a Knight, a check from which can only be parried by moving the King, or capturing the Knight.

We will show the application of "check" and "checkmate" by means of a Chess problem. We may first inform you that the moves at Chess are played by each player alternately, and as we suppose you to play the white pieces we shall generally give you the first move. Be careful, therefore, whenever a position or problem is given by way of illustration, to notice the direction in which the Pawns are moving ;-those of your adversary, i. e., the black Pawns, always move towards you, while your own Pawns always move away from you. When you are directed to capture one of your adversary's pieces or Pawns, recollect you are to remove it from off the board, and place your own piece or Pawn on the square which it occupied.

The accompanying diagram represents the position of the pieces at the end of a game. The player of the white pieces having to move first, is able to check-mate his adversary in four moves.

Certain given positions or combinations of pieces are called Problems, many of which are remarkable for the great beauty or ingenuity of their solutions or answers. When you are a little further advanced you will find the exercise both pleasant and instructive.

In order to solve this problem you play your Rook to K. B. 8th square, and call out "check." Now of the three methods of escaping check, Black can avail himself of two; he cannot interpose a piece, because your Rook checks his King on the very next square to that which he occupies; the black King must therefore either take the Rook or move out of check. If he take the Rook, you check-mate him instantly by playing your Q. to K. 8th, and he cannot take your Q.

because she is supported by the B., for were he to capture her he would still be in check with the B., and the King is in no case allowed to put himself in check. The King must therefore be moved out of check, and you will observe that there is only one square to which he can be played, and that is to his R. 2d, which you know is the same as your K. R. 7th. For your second move you play Q. to K. Kt. 6th, checking. Of the three modes of escaping check, Black can avail himself of only one; he cannot interpose, and he cannot move on account of the position of your Rook; he must therefore take your Q.; but this he cannot do with his King, because your Q. is supported by the Pawn at your K. R. 5th; he must therefore take your Q. with his B. We may

here mention that although your Q. is of far more value than the Bishop, which you get in exchange for her, yet occasions sometimes arise when it is desirable to sacrifice a Queen or a Rook for one of the minor pieces (as the Bishops and Knights are called), or even for a Pawn. Your third move is P. takes B., checking. The black King not being able to move out of check must take the Pawn. You now play for your fourth move K. B. to Q. 3d, and thus give check-mate, because the black King is in check, and cannot move out of check.

The term "check" is used only when the King is placed in danger. The Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight, and Pawn may all be attacked and captured, but we never say they are checked. There are four kinds of "checks." 1. A simple check, that is, when the King is attacked only by the piece which is moved. 2. Check by discovery, that is, when the piece which moves does not check, but unfolds another piece which does; for example, let the black King be at home; then place a white Rook on your K. R. 8th, and a white Knight on your K. Kt. 8th. In this position by playing your Knight to your K. R. 6th, your R. checks the black King by discovery. By playing your Kt. to K. B. 6th, instead of to K. R. 6th, we have the third species of check, namely the double check, which combines the simple and the discovered check.

The fourth description of check is the perpetual check, of which the annexed diagram furnishes an example. This occurs when one player can check the other, every move, and the check cannot be parried so as to prevent its repetition; then if the first player persist in giving check every move, the game must be abandoned as drawn. In the accompanying diagram you play your Q. backward and forward from the square on which she stands to adversary's K., checking; the only means the King has of escaping check is by