Chess has been around for at least a thousand years. However, the rules and pieces used in the game have gone through many evolutionary phases. In this Square Off article, we will deal with the theme – ‘How many pieces in chess’ in close detail.

A basic chessboard has 32 chess pieces at the start of a game. Each player has control over 16 pieces, and chess piece moves are determined per standard chess rules.

Chess Pieces Names

Pawn – Every player gets eight pawns at the beginning of a game, and they are of the lowest value and can generally move one square/tile forward at a time.

Knight – The first of the ‘minor’ pieces, knights are worth three points. They can be moved in a unique pattern, comprising three squares in an ‘L’ shape in any direction.

Bishop – Another ‘minor’ piece, bishops can only move in the diagonal direction of the board, and this ensures that a bishop will always remain on the same coloured squares from where it starts its play.

Rook – The rook is a ‘major’ chess piece worth five points. Rooks usually come in handy at the latter stages of a match, when there are enough empty ranks and files for the rooks to move freely. 

Queen – The queen is the most powerful piece on the chessboard and the second most important after the king. It is worth nine points and can move to any number of squares in any direction.

King – The most valuable piece of them all, a chess match revolves around a player’s capacity to capture the opponent’s king while protecting their own king at all times.

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That concludes our piece on ‘how many pieces in chess’. If you want to know more about chess, visit the Square Off website today.