Master 2200X Chess Computer
(600-2213)                 Basic Chess                Faxback Doc. # 47013

BASIC CHESS INSTRUCTIONS

THE GAME BOARD

Following international chess notation, the game board is made up of 8
vertical rows called files, and 8 horizontal rows called ranks.

Each file (left to right) is designated by a file board light and a letter
of the alphabet (A through H), and consists of 8 squares alternately
colored black and white.

Each rank (bottom to top) is designated by a rank board light and a number
(1 through 8), and also consists of 8 squares alternately colored black
and white.

THE GAME PIECES

Description

There are 16 white and 16 black pieces, 32 in all.  Each color has these
pieces:

  1 KING              2 BISHOPS            2 ROOKS 

  1 QUEEN             2 KNIGHTS            8 PAWNS 

Setting Up

Here's how to set up the game board.

Set the board in front of you so the display and buttons are to the right.
Set up the white pieces on the side of the board closest to you this way:

  Place the rooks on A1 and H1.

  Place the knights on B1 and G1.

  Place the bishops on C1 and F1.

  Place the queen on D1.

  Place the King on E1.

  Place a pawn on each square A2 - H2.

Set up the black pieces on the opposite side of the board this way;

  Place the rooks on A8 and H8.

  Place the knights on B8 and G8.

  Place the bishops on C8 and F8.

  Place the queen on D8.

  Place the king on E8.

  Place a pawn on each square A7 - H7.

Note:  The queen always begins on a square of her own color.

MOVEMENT

Each kind of piece moves in a different way.

The rook can move any number of squares vertically or horizontally, but it
cannot move past a square occupied by another piece.

The knight moves in an L-shaped pattern.  It moves 2 squares horizontally
or vertically, then moves 1 additional square at a right angle from its
first move.  At the end of the move, the knight must land on a square of a
different color than the one it started from.

The knight can move even if the squares it moves through are occupied.
The knight is the only piece that can "jump" another piece.

The bishop can move any number of squares diagonally but it cannot move
past a square occupied by another piece.

The queen can move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or
diagonally.  (The queen's moves are a combination of the rook's and
bishop's moves.)  The queen cannot move past a square occupied by another
piece.

The king can move only 1 square vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

The pawn can move only 1 (or 2) squares directly forward, except when
capturing another piece.  It captures a piece by moving diagonally forward
1 square, except when capturing en passant (see "Capturing En Passant"
below).  When it moves from its original position, it can move 1 or 2
squares forward.  On subsequent moves, it can only move 1 square.

A pawn can be promoted to a piece of higher rank.  See "Promoting a Pawn"
below.

GAME RULES

Checkmate - The Object of the Game

The object of the game is to position your pieces so your next move would
capture the opponent's king, and your opponent cannot move, protect the
king, or capture your piece.  This is called checkmate.

Check

Check occurs when a player's piece directly threatens to capture the
opponent's king, but the opponent can move the king, or another piece, to
escape capture.

Capturing

To capture a piece, you move your piece into the square occupied by the
piece you are capturing, except when capturing an opponent's pawn en
passant (see "Capturing En Passant", below).  Remove the captured piece
from the board.

Capturing En Passant

A pawn can capture an opponent's pawn that has just moved 2 squares from
the original position.

Here's an example of an en passant capture.

1.  The white pawn advances from E4 to E5.  The black pawn is still in its
    original position (D7).

2.  The black pawn advances from D7 to D5.

3.  The white pawn advances to D6 (one square behind the black pawn's
    position).  The black pawn is captured by the white pawn, even though
    the exact square it is on is not occupied by the white pawn.

PROMOTING A PAWN

When a pawn crosses the entire board, it can be promoted to a queen or
another piece, even if the queen or other piece is still on the board.

CASTLING

Casting protects the king from a potential check or checkmate situation by
hiding it behind a fortified position of moving it out of immediate danger
of attack.

You can castle if all of the following conditions exist:

  The king has not moved from his original position.

  The rook that you want to move by castling has not moved from its
  original position.

  The king is not placed in check on its current square, the square to
  which it is going, or the square it passes over.

  The squares between the king and the rock are not occupied.

In castling, the king moves 2 squares in the direction of either rook.
The rook that is closest to the king after the king has moved now moves to
the square right next to and on the other side of the king.  Castling
counts as 1 move.

Notes:  If a rook is on the same side of the board as the king's square,
        this is called a king's side castle.  If the rook is on the same
        side of the board as the queen's square, this is called a queen's
        side castle.

        In castling, the king always moves first, then the rook.

DRAW GAMES

In a draw, neither opponent can win or lose without making an illegal
move.  There are three types of draws, and your computer recognizes all
three of them.

Draw by Stalemate:

If the king cannot move anywhere without being placed in check (see
"Illegal Moves" in Faxback Doc. # 47015), the king is not in check, and no
other piece on the board can move, the computer claims a draw by
stalemate.

Draw by the 50-Move Rule:

If 50 consecutive moves are played in a game where neither side moves a
pawn or captures a piece, the computer claims a draw by the 50-move rule.

Draw by 3-Time Repetition:

If a piece returns to the same location on the board three times in a row,
the computer claims a draw by a 3-time repetition.

(BR/eb 7/28/98)