So, without any further ado, let’s dive into the basics.
Chess Pieces Names and their Values in the Game
The chess game includes the following pieces
1. The pawn
2. The bishop
3. The rook
4. The knight
5. The queen
6. The king
Chess Pieces Explained
Before setting up a chessboard, you should be well aware of the pieces in the game. The chess pieces are the pieces that are moved on the board game as you play the game of chess. One can have six different types of chess pieces. Each player is given 16 pieces – one king, one queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, and eight pawns.
The Pawn
Each side places its eight pawns on the front line row. Rank wise, the white pawns are placed second and the black pawns are placed on the seventh rank.
The pawn is actually the least strong piece in chess and each piece is one point. If the pawn gets the first move, it can move one point forward or two squares. If the piece has moved already, then it can move forward only one square at one time. It captures each square in the game diagonally towards the left or the right.
The Bishop
Each side has two bishops of their color, one present on the light square and one present on the dark square of the chessboard. When the game starts, the white bishops are present on the c1 and the f1, while the black bishops are present on c8 and f8.
In the game of chess, the bishop is considered to be a minor piece like the knight and has three points in the game. A bishop can move in a diagonal position in as many squares as it wants just as long as it does not get captured by its own or through an occupied square. One manner to keep in mind how the bishop can move is to remember the alphabet X. It can attack an enemy piece by moving towards the occupied square where the chess piece is present. Remember, the bishop piece moves in an “X” direction.
The Knight
The knight piece is considered to be a minor piece just as a bishop and is worth a total of three points. The knight gets to be the only piece in the chess game that can jump over another chess piece. It will move from one square left or the right in the horizontal direction and then it gets two squares upwards and downwards, or it can move two squares to the left or to the right in horizontal position and then get one square up or downwards in a vertical position – we can say that the knight can move in the alphabet L shape. This piece can attack only the piece it lands on, not the piece that it jumps over.
The Rook
Each side is given with two rooks, one present on the kingside and one present on the queenside. All four rooks are present on the corners of the board. The white rooks initiate the game on a1 and h1. The black rooks are present on a8 and h8.
The rook is considered to be the major piece just as the queen and has a worth of five points. It can move in as many squares as it wants to in the left or right horizontally, or in many squares upwards or downwards as long as it doesn’t get blocked by the other chess pieces. One way to keep in mind how the rook can move is that it moves with a “+” sign.
The Queen
One of the most powerful chess piece values is of the queen, equaling nine points. It can move in as many squares as it likes in the left or right direction or in as many squares in upwards or downward direction. The queen on the white side is present on d1 and the queen on the black side is present on d8. The queen can move in as many squares diagonally. We can say that the queen can move both like a bishop and the rook. So we have the asterisk sign to remember when it comes to remembering its movement.
The King
In all of the chess game, the king has the most significant value. You need to remember that the actual goal of the entire game is to checkmate the enemy king. When the game begins, every side has one king. The black king is located on e8 and the white king is located on e1.
The king does not have the power as much a rook or a queen does. It can only move one square in any direction adjacent to it. You should note that the king is not captured, it is attacked, and when this happens, the check piece is said to be under “Check.”
Final Word
So these are some of the chess pieces’ names and chess piece values that you should remember when you are trying to learn the chess game from the beginning. The placing and the points, and the movement of the chess pieces with their values are all cleared by now. You can enjoy the newly found knowledge of your chess pieces and can practice it either alone or with a companion. As you progress, you can learn the moves of the game.