Chess Pieces Arrangement, the Pawn and the Rook
Arrangement of Pieces
Once you are familiar with the chess board setup, it is time to look at the arrangement of the chessmen on their proper positions. Let us look at how each player arranges their pieces before the start of a game.
The 16 chessmen occupy 2 rows or ranks. The 8 pawns occupy the second or foremost row. Behind them are the more valuable pieces. Going from the outside to the inside, one places the pair of rooks on either end of the back row, then the pair of knights followed by the pair of bishops. The last two squares are taken up by the king and queen with the queen on the right side of the king.
R N B Q K B N R P P P P P P P P
Chessmen - The Pawn
The pawn is the smallest piece on the chess board. It has a curving figure with a round top. Each player has 8 pawns.
For its very first move, a pawn can move by either one or two squares forward. The option to move two squares is available only on the first move. Once the pawn has moved, it can only advance one square at a time henceforth.
A pawn cannot advance if there is a piece in the square immediately in front of it; it is blocked.
A pawn can capture an enemy piece that is one square ahead of it, diagonally to the left or right. It cannot seize an enemy piece that is on its left or right diagonal.
When a pawn crosses enemy lines and reaches the farthermost rank, it is promoted to any chessman the player desires. Usually the choice is a queen. If there is a queen or a rook to spare, this substitutes for the pawn which is removed from the board. If a rook, it will be turned on its head to signify the promotion.
Chessmen - the Rook
Rooks are the flat-topped figures you see on a chess board. It can be a very powerful piece. The rook can move horizontally or vertically at any distance. That is, it can move straight to either left or right, backward or forward for as many squares as needed.
If there is an enemy piece on the path of the rook, the rook can capture that enemy chessman and stop at that square.
If there is a friendly piece on the rook's path, it cannot remove that piece. The rook must stop at the nearest square.
The rook is the only chess piece that can move together with the king to form a castle.