Starting square

A piece's starting square is the square it occupies when a standard game begins. For example, the white king starts on e1, the white rooks on a1 and h1, White's king's pawn on e2, and Black's queen's pawn on d7.

The idea matters because some rules depend not only on a piece's current square but also on whether it moved earlier. The king and a rook must be on their original squares to castle, but returning there does not restore the right if either piece has moved. A pawn may likewise advance two squares only on its first move, provided the path is clear.

'Starting square' does not necessarily mean the square from which any move begins. That is simply the move's origin square. In studies or historical reconstruction, context should make clear whether 'original' refers to the beginning of the game or the beginning of one move.