Chess Boards
Chess is a board game that is played between two players with a chess board. The chessboard is square-shaped and contains 64 squares arranged on an 8 by 8 grid. Each player during a chess match starts with sixteen different pieces. Each player has one king and queen, two rooks, knights, and bishops, and eight pawns. Every unique piece on a chess board has unique ways of traveling up and down the chessboard. Both player in a game of chess has the goal of using the pieces to checkmate the opponent’s king. This means that the king is under attack, and there is no possible move that will deem the king safe from the attack. If a king is in check, it means it is being attacked, but there is a move that will keep it safe, either by moving the king or another piece to block the attack.
The squares on a chess board are arranged in a pattern of alternating dark and light squares. Chess boards are commonly made out of light-colored wood and dark-colored wood during high-level competition, but sometimes can be vinyl or cardboard for lower-leveled games. The chess board is very similar to the board that is used for American checkers, although checks is usually played with a board with interlocking red and black squares. Before a game, a chess board is usually positioned so that the square all the way to the right nearest to the player is white.
When a chess game is being commentated in a modern style, in order to describe the moves that are being placed on the chess board, the columns (also known as files) are labeled with letters. Also, the rows (also called ranks) are labeled numbers 1 through 8. This allows a standard chess notion called algebraic chess notation to be used.
Chess boards can come in a number of different varieties, depending on the type of chess game being played or the circumstances of the environment. Many chess boards commonly sold in toy stores fold inwards to allow for a more compact design when the board is packed away. There are also what are known as vinyl roll-up chess boards that are lightweight, take up less space and easy to carry. A chess board can also be engraved on a table, a type of board common in city parks, where chess games can be easily picked up. Expensive chess boards can also be made of class, with the dark squares are clear and the light squares are stained white. Electronic chess boards have also been produced, which can sense when chess moves are made, and sometimes include an accompanying clock to stop and start after each move by a player. Some electronic chess boards even have AI intelligence so that players can play a game of chess on a real board with a computer player.