Chessboard

The board has eight squares on each side: 32 light and 32 dark. The physical colors may be white, green, brown, or something else, but they always alternate. For correct orientation, each player must see a light square in the lower-right corner.

Every square has a fixed coordinate. The eight vertical files are labeled a through h as seen from White's side. The eight horizontal ranks are numbered 1 through 8 from that same side.

Combining the letter first and the number second gives a name such as e4. The coordinate does not change when the board is viewed from Black's side.

These coordinates make algebraic notation possible, a compact system for recording which piece moved and where it went. The board is also described through diagonals, slanting lines of same-colored squares. The four squares d4, d5, e4, and e5 form the core of the center, an area from which many pieces can reach more of the board.