CHESS

chess, once known as "checker," a game played with certain "pieces" on a special "board" described below. it takes its name from the persian word _shah_, a king, the name of one of the pieces or men used in the game. chess is the most cosmopolitan of all games, invented in the east (see _history_, below), introduced into the west and now domiciled in every part of the world. as a mere pastime chess is easily learnt, and a very moderate amount of study enables a man to become a fair player, but the higher ranges of chess-skill are only attained by persistent labour. the real proficient or "master" not merely must know the subtle variations in which the game abounds, but must be able to apply his knowledge in the face of the enemy and to call to his aid, as occasion demands, all that he has of foresight, brilliancy and resource, both in attack and in defence. two chess players fighting over the board may fitly be compared to two famous generals encountering each other on the battlefield, the strategy and the tactics being not dissimilar in spirit. _the board, pieces and moves._--the chessboard is divided (see accompanying diagrams) into sixty-four chequered squares. in diagram 1, the pieces, or chess-men, are arranged for the beginning of a game, while diagram 2 shows the denomination of the squares according to the english and german systems of notation. under diagram 1 are the names of the various "pieces"--each side, white or black, having a king, a queen, two rooks (or castles), two knights, and two bishops. the eight men in front are called pawns. at the beginning of the game the queen always stands upon a square of her own colour. the board is so set that each player has a white square at the right hand end of the row nearest to him. the rook, knight and bishop on the right of the king are known as king's rook, king's knight, and king's bishop; the other three as queen's rook, queen's knight, and queen's bishop. black +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | r | n | b | q | k | b | n | r | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | r | n | b | q | k | b | n | r | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ rk. kt. bp. q. k. bp. kt. rk.