Chessity logo Player
Play now

The starting position

Before you can play a game of chess, you have to set up the board and pieces.
That setup is always the same.
It is called the starting position.

How do you set up the board and pieces?
First, setup the board. Make sure that the bottom left square is a black square.
Start with the white pieces.
The rooks go to the corners of the first row.
Place the knights next to the rooks.
The bishops sit next to the knights.
At this point, there are only two squares left: a white one and a black one.
Those are for the king and the queen.
The white queen goes on the white square (white on white).
The king goes on the black square.
Finally, you line up the pawns on the second row.
Now, do the same with the black pieces at the other side of the board.
Make sure that the black queen faces the white queen (black on black).
Black’s king goes on the white square next to the queen.
The two kings also face each other.
Always keep in mind: the queens start from their own color.

What do you have to do?
In this game, there is always one piece beside the board.
You have to place this piece in its starting position.