Board setup
To set up a chess board, turn it so each player has a light square in the right-hand corner. Rooks go on the corners, knights next to them, then bishops. The queen goes on the square of her own colour, the king beside her, and the eight pawns on the row in front. White moves first.
Step 1 of 7
Turn the board the right way
Each player must have a light square in the corner at their right hand. If the square at your right is dark, turn the board a quarter turn.
How to use it
- Press "Next step" to see the board fill up, or click any step in the list.
- Check the corner first: a light square at each player's right hand. If it is dark, the king and queen end up on the wrong squares.
- Put the pieces on the back row from the outside in: rooks, knights, bishops. The queen takes the middle square of her own colour and the king the one that is left.
- Line the eight pawns up on the second row. The player with the white pieces makes the first move.
Source: FIDE Laws of Chess taking effect from 1 January 2023 (Articles 1.2 and 2), read on 2026-11-11. Chesspedition is not affiliated with FIDE.
Questions
- Which way round does the board go?
- So that each player has a light square in the corner nearest their right hand. A common way to remember it is "light on the right".
- Where does the queen go?
- On the square of her own colour: the white queen on the light middle square of White's back row, the black queen on the dark one. The queens face each other, and so do the kings.
- Who moves first in chess?
- White. The player with the light-coloured pieces makes the first move, and the players then move in turn.
- How many pieces does each player have?
- Sixteen: one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns.
- Do the letters and numbers on the board matter?
- They name the squares for writing moves down. If your board has them, White's pieces go on rows 1 and 2, with the white king on e1, and Black's on rows 7 and 8.