RichFraser

One of the most popular board games in the world is chess. Chess is not only a game but also a sport which shows up in various international sporting events. This sport is also considered a strategy and intelligence game which trains your brain. This game attracts lots of players of all ages, both professionally and more informally. Children play chess to learn how to think logically. The elderly play chess to activate their minds so that they can prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
With the development of online games, chess isn’t out of date or outside the trend. There are lots of online chess games, with various designs, from the basic one with a normal board, to the living chess pieces like in the Harry Potter movie. Thanks to this, chess still often gains a place as people’s favorite among the new list of browser strategy games you can play online for totally free. The online version of chess offers people great conveniences. You don’t have to ask your friends, who never seem to have time to play a game of chess with you. Playing against the computer is challenging enough. Or, if you want to start playing chess, you also can try some online chess games. But before starting, you might want to know the origin and basic rules of chess.

1. The origin of chess

There is no correct answer for who invented chess. The origin of chess varies, with different stories and hypotheses. One of them originated from a well-known legend. This legend is about Shihram – the Indian King and the wise man. Under the rule of the King, there was no order to society and chaos reigned. So, the wise man wanted to show the King that it was important to reorganize the kingdom. To do this, the man invented a game which represented the King, his troops, his queen, his knights, etc. At the time, the man used grains of wheat to show the King how to play this game. After playing this game, the King understood that he couldn’t underestimate the importance of small things, and that a well-organized residence for the citizens was essential. Moreover, he liked this game and decided to recognize it as a game that other people could play too.

Another theory belongs to H.J.R. Murray, who assumes that chess comes from the North of India. According to his book, this game started in India, traveled to Persia, and then landed in Asia. The evidence for this theory comes from language. In Persian, the word “Shāh” means king, and “Shāh Māt” means “the king is helpless”. These terms are similar to “check” and “checkmate”, which we use today. And, he also concludes that the modern chess we play today dates back to the 19th century.
In contrast, it’s also said that this game was invented in China. The theory assumes that chess was invented by a Chinese commander around 200 B.C. His primary purpose was demonstrating a battle. So, after that, this game fell into obscurity. Then, in the 17th century, this game came back, with new rules and a name. The Chinese version of chess contained different pieces and rules in comparison to the current one. Then, chess traveled to India and Persia, where it slowly changed into the modern form.
After various modifications, in the 1880s, chess came into shape as the version that we know today. It developed its competitiveness and formal rules as well as its popularity. Then, in 1886, the first chess tournaments took place, and the first official chess champion was Wilhelm Steinitz. This golden age of chess is called the romantic era. This era terminated in the 20th century, when various online chess games appeared. If you want to try the online versions of chess, play the best online strategy games for free on your PC.

2. Basic rules of chess

Like other online strategy games, online chess games follow the formal rules of this sport. So, to play online versions of chess, you should understand its rules first.
You can skip the setup of the chess board. With online chess games, you don’t have to organize the board. The computer does it for you. Therefore, you only need to know the moves of each piece.

The King

It’s the most important piece; however, it’s one of the weakest ones, so you shouldn’t use the king to attack other pieces. This piece only can move one square at a time, in various directions. You can move the king up, down, diagonally, or to the sides. It’s called “check” when any piece attacks the king.

The Queen

She is the most powerful piece in the board. This piece can move any direction on the board. Also, the distance for each move is not limited. She can capture the opponent’s pieces by occupying the position of the pieces.

The Rook

There are two rooks on each side. These piece can move as far as you want, but they only can go forward, backward, to the left, or to the right. To enhance the power of this piece, you should combine them so that they can support and work together.

The Bishop

Like the rook, there is no limit to the distance for one move from this piece. However, the bishop can only move diagonally. So, to improve its weakness, you should let them work together.

The Knight

The move of this piece is quite complicated. It starts with two squares in the same direction, then keeps going with one square at a 90-degree angle. To simplify its move, you can imagine the shape of a letter “L.” This piece can also jump over other pieces.

The Pawn

The moving and capturing of the pawns are different from other pieces. This piece only can move forward one square at a time, but in the first move, it can go up two squares. To capture other pieces from the opponent, the pawn has to move one square diagonally. It can’t move backward or jump over other pieces.

Overall, chess is a popular game as well as a sport which requires players to have a smart and clear strategy. With the development of the internet, this game quickly appeared on the internet in various online versions. However, the rules for playing chess are the same. If you want to start playing chess, review all the basic rules above. To try online chess games, check this link: https://www.facebook.com/playpuzzlegames/