Board and pieces

A chessboard is a grid of 64 alternating squares arranged in eight ranks and eight files.

One of the chessboard's 64 spaces, uniquely identified by a letter and a number.

One of the 32 squares that form the lighter half of the board's alternating pattern.

One of the 32 squares that form the darker half of the board's alternating pattern.

A square that shares an edge or a corner with another square on the board.

A vertical set of eight chessboard squares identified by one letter from a through h.

A horizontal set of eight chessboard squares identified by one number from 1 through 8.

A slanting line of same-colored squares that changes one file and one rank at each step.

One of the two eight-square diagonals that cross the entire board from one corner to the opposite corner.

The central area of the board, with d4, d5, e4, and e5 forming its core.

An outer board region formed by the a-, b-, and c-files or by the f-, g-, and h-files.

The half of the board formed by the e-, f-, g-, and h-files, where the kings begin.

The half of the board formed by the a-, b-, c-, and d-files, where the queens begin.

The rank closest to a player, where that side's king, queen, rooks, bishops, and knights begin.

The horizontal row numbered 1, located along White's side of the board.

The horizontal row numbered 7, where Black's pawns begin and a white pawn stands one rank from promotion.

The correct placement of the board, with a light square at each player's near right corner.

The official arrangement of all thirty-two pieces before the first move.

The side with the light-colored pieces, which makes the first move of the game.

The side with the dark-colored pieces, which replies after White's opening move.

The square a piece occupies at the beginning of a game with the standard setup.

A movable chess unit; in the official rules, the word also includes pawns.

The piece that cannot be left under attack; if it is attacked and no permitted reply exists, the game ends.

A long-range piece that moves along ranks, files, and diagonals without jumping over other pieces.

A long-range piece that moves any number of squares along ranks or files.

A long-range piece that moves diagonally and always remains on squares of one color.

A piece that jumps to a square two steps in one direction and one step perpendicular to it.

A piece that advances toward the opponent, captures diagonally, and can transform on the farthest rank.

The collective name for bishops and knights.

The collective name for rooks and queens.

A bishop, rook, or queen that can travel any number of squares along an allowed clear line.

A bishop that moves only among the board's thirty-two light squares.

A bishop that moves only among the board's thirty-two dark squares.

A pawn on the e-file, called the king's file because the king starts there.

A pawn on the d-file, called the queen's file because the queen starts there.

A pawn on a bishop file, meaning the c-file or the f-file.

A pawn on a knight file, meaning the b-file or the g-file.

A pawn on a rook file, meaning the a-file or h-file at the edge of the board.

A situation in which one side has only its king left, with no pawns or other pieces.

The board and 32 pieces used to play, although some rules use “chess set” for the pieces alone.

A recognizable chess-piece design used as the practical standard for modern competitive play.

A large board that reproduces a position so a group can see it easily.

A physical board that detects pieces and moves so they can be recorded, stored, or transmitted to other systems.

A board designed so that the position and pieces can be identified and handled mainly through touch.