How the Chessboard Works
In the first stage, your child gets to know the chessboard: what it’s made of, how to place it correctly, and what each square is called. There are no pieces yet; they arrive in Stage 2. The stage is made up of short videos, explanations and 60 exercises on an interactive board.
What’s in this stage
- How the chessboard works — 4 exercises
- How to set up the chessboard correctly — 2 exercises
- What is a file in chess — 8 exercises
- What is a rank in chess — 8 exercises
- How the squares on a chessboard are named — 11 exercises
- What is a diagonal in chess — 12 exercises
- Test yourself: exercises on everything you’ve learned — 15 exercises
Total: 60 exercises
How the chessboard works
A chessboard is a square grid of 64 squares, 8 by 8. Half are light and half are dark, 32 of each, and the colors alternate.
How to set up the chessboard correctly
The board is placed so that each player has a light square in the bottom right-hand corner. An easy way to remember it: “light on the right.” A board turned a quarter of the way around is a common beginner mistake: the pieces won’t end up on their proper squares.
What is a file in chess
A file is a column of eight squares running from bottom to top. There are eight files, labeled with the letters a to h from left to right, as seen from White’s side.
What is a rank in chess
A rank is a row of eight squares running from left to right. There are also eight ranks, numbered 1 to 8 from bottom to top, as seen from White’s side.
How the squares on a chessboard are named
Every square has an address: the letter of its file plus the number of its rank, just like in Battleship. e4 is where file e meets the 4th rank. These addresses are used to write down the moves of a chess game.
What is a diagonal in chess
A diagonal is a slanting line of squares of the same color. The longest ones, a1–h8 and h1–a8, are 8 squares long; in total the board has 26 diagonals of two or more squares. Bishops and queens move along diagonals.
Test yourself: exercises on everything you’ve learned
A mix of exercises on every topic in this stage. In Stage 2: the pieces and how to set them up before a game.