Pawn: There are eight pawns located on each side of the board. The pawns can only move forward and not sideways or backwards. The pawns move only one square at a time. However there is exception for the first time when it can be moved forward two squares as long as there are no obstructing pieces.
Knights: The knight moves one square in any direction then diagonally one square away from its starting square. It is a flexible and powerful piece.
Knight in the center of the chessboard has eight possible moves. If at the target square the opponent’s piece is stationed, the knight can capture it. And if occupied by a piece of the knight’s color, the knight is blocked and can’t move to that square.
The knight can hop over any piece on its path; in fact it is the only piece that can jump over other pieces.
Bishop: The bishop can move any number of squares diagonally. Each player begins with two bishops, one, which is, positioned on a light square, the other on a dark square. It is interesting to note that because of the nature of the movement the bishop remains on the same colored squares.
The bishop in the center of an empty chessboard can move to 13 squares.
Unlike the knight, bishop cannot hop over other pieces.
Rook: This piece moves in straight lines horizontally and vertically, making it one of the most powerful pieces for controlling open files and ranks. It’s also essential for castling, where the king moves two squares toward a rook, and the rook jumps over the king to the adjacent square.
Queen: She is the most powerful chess piece who moves in a straight line. She combines the chess moves of the Rook and the Bishop. She can move as many squares as she desires in any direction.
King: The King is the most important piece on the board and losing it means losing the game. The game of chess is based on its protection. He can only move one square in one direction.
End of Game
Checkmate: The game ends when one of the players seizes his opponent’s king. When a player’s king is threatened by a conflicting piece it is said to be “in check”. When the player keeps the opposing king in check he should announce, “Check”. The player must ensure that the possibility of the movement of the opponent king’s is completely curtailed. This is known as ‘checkmate’. The player who captures the king is declared a winner.
Resignation from the game: A player can seek to resign from the game anytime when a player loses a major piece and possibility of victory is dim. This can save on long drawn out games when defeat is the only outcome.
Stalemate/Tie: The game can be drawn when a player’s only move is to place his own king in check however its current square is not threatened.