CHESS FOR WINTER EVENINGS LESSON I. THE NAMES OF THE PIECES-HOW TO SET UP THE MEN-NAMES OF THE SQUARES ON THE CHESS-BOARD-EXERCISES. In order to render our instruction most familiar, we shall address the reader in the second person, supposing him always to play with the white pieces; we advise him nevertheless to accustom himself to the use of either colour; for which purpose he will do well to play over our lessons with the white and black pieces alternately. The game of Chess is played by two persons upon a chequered board of 64 squares. Each player is furnished with eight pieces, namely, King, Queen, two Rooks, two Knights, and two Bishops; and eight Pawns. The pieces and Pawns of the two players are distinguished by being of opposite colours, and will be represented in the course of these 'essons as follows: The King and Queen are supported each by three officers and four soldiers; but before you inquire into the powers of the various members of this little army you must become acquainted with the field of battle, and learn how to marsha. your forces in proper order. The Chess-board must be so placed, that each player's right hand corner square may be white. The only reason for this is, to establish a universa! rule whereby to set up the pieces. Indeed, it is not necessary that one-half of the squares of the Chess-board be of a different colour to the other half; but that the arrangement greatly facilitates the play. Remember that the rows of squares running upwards are called files, while those from left to right are termed ranks; the oblique rows of white or black, are called diagonals. squares, either We will now set up the men in the proper order for com mencing the game. Your right hand corner square is white, place a Rook on it, and remember that this piece being on the King's side is called the King's Rook, and the square on which it stands the King's Rook's square. Next to this place a Knight, then a Bishop, and on the fourth square from the right the King must be placed. You thus see that the King's officers stand on his right on their respective squares; the King's Knight on the King's Knight's square and the King's Bishop on the King's Bishop's square. On the square next to the King place the Queen, and observe that she will occupy a white square, while the Queen of your antagonist will stand on a black square. Beginners are frequently at a loss to remember the squares occupied by the two royal pieces; but if you bear in mind the simple law that the Queen stands on her own colour you cannot err. One consequence of this arrangement is, that your Queen is to the left of your King; but if you turn round the board in order to play the black pieces your Queen will then be to the right of your King. This circumstance is very puzzling to begin ers who study. from books, in which advice is generally given to the player of the white pieces; for when they have to play the black men they get confused. This is why we have advised you to accustom yourself to the use of either colour; besides it is very likely that two persons who agree to play may have an equal liking for white, but as one of the two must have black, you see how necessary it is to make it a matter of indifference which colour you use. Good players always draw lots for colours. But we must finish setting up our pieces. A Bishop attends the Queen on her left hand; then comes a Knight, and on the left corner square stands the Queen's Rook. Eight Pawns stand immediately in front of the pieces, and have the following names, beginning from the right: King's Rook's Pawn. King's Knight's Pawn. King's Bishop's Pawn. King's Pawn. Queen's Pawn. Queen's Bishop's Pawn. Queen's Knight's Pawn Queen's Rook's Pawn. When you have finished setting up your pieces, compare the state of your board with the following arrangement, which shows the proper position of all the pieces and Pawns on both sides at the commencement of the game. BLACK. WHITE. The rank which the pieces occupy is sometimes called the royal line, and the eight squares which compose it are called by the names of the pieces occupying them at the commencement of the game; such as King's square, i. e. the square whereon the King is first placed, and the square retains this name, throughout the whole of the game, whether the King occupies it or not. The same remark applies to all the other squares of the royal line. The files are also named according to the pieces occupy. ing the first square in each file. Thus King's Rook's square is the first of the King's Rook's file; King's Rook's Pawn occu pies the King's Rook's second square. King's Rook's third, fourth, fifth, and sixth squares are unoccupied ; King's Rook's seventh is your adversary's King's Rook's second square, and is occupied by his King's Rook's Pawn. Your King's Rook's eighth square is your adversary's King's Rook's square, where that piece is now at home, as it is sometimes called when the piece has not been moved, or having been moved, is played back to its square. Thus, all the files are named, and this easy method gives a name to every one of the sixty-four squares, and is equally available for your antagonist as well as for yourself. We will now give you a few exercises on the names of the squares and the pieces. Remove all your white Pawns from the board, and all your adversary's pieces, and then : 1. Place your King's Bishop on your King's Rook's third square. But as we shall hereafter have to give you many direc tions for playing a piece from one square to another, it will be desirable to write our instructions in the shortest possible manner; we shall, therefore, use that kind of Chess notation which is now very common and very convenient. The exercise just given would be intelligible to any Chess-player if simply written thus:-K. B. to K. R. 3d. 2. Play your Queen to her eighth square. Q. to adv. Q., i. e. Queen to adversary's Queen's square. 3. Play your Queen's Knight to your Queen's Bishop's third square. Q. Kt. to Q. B. 3d. 4. Play your King to his Bishop's second square. K. to K. B. 2d. |