Chess. A modern textbook

Chess. A modern textbook

Vatslav Sukhanov

© Vatslav Sukhanov, 2025

ISBN 978-5-0068-2620-5

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Introduction

CHESS… It’s a whole world for me, and a single game is a small model of our life.

What are the benefits of chess? What does chess offer to modern people?

“Chess is life in miniature. Chess is a struggle, chess is a battle.”

Chess is a game, but it reflects a person’s essence like a mirror. His views on life, decision-making, emotional or precise calculation, plans, a person’s character, laziness or work capacity, emotional outbursts or cold restraint, imagination and the ability to correctly assess a situation, etc.

People have been playing chess for thousands of years, and even with the advent of computers, the attitude towards the game has not changed, which speaks volumes.

So, what does chess offer for a person’s daily life?

1. Independence in decision-making.

2. Understanding what the consequences of this decision will be.

3. The ability to assess the situation independently and make an appropriate plan of action.

4. They train the will and make our brain find the best way out of a critical situation, and in a very short period of time.

5. They train memory.

6. They develop the will to achieve a goal.

7. They teach a person to find the necessary information (the flow of information has increased many times not only in everyday life, but also in chess) and

apply it to the best advantage for themselves.

8. They teach you to control your emotions, thereby allowing you to focus on the task at hand.

9. They teach you to draw conclusions not only from the entire chess game, but also from each individual move.

These points apply equally to both life and chess, but there is one significant difference:

10. Life is unique and cannot be changed.

However, a chess game can be played again and again, allowing you to correct your mistakes and avoid making new ones.

Thus, the path of chess improvement is endless.

This is why I love chess, and I hope you will too…

Chapter 1—3: the initial level from the rules of the game to the 3rd level.

Chapter 4—7: from the 3rd to the 1st category

Chapter 8: from 1st to KMS inclusive

Chapter 8: modern vision of chess and recommendations for further study of chess

Chess is not just a game; it is an art of strategic thinking, an intellectual battle that captivates millions of people around the world. Over the centuries, chess has become an integral part of culture and education, promoting the development of logical, spatial, and analytical thinking. In this textbook, we aim to guide you on a fascinating journey of learning chess, from the basics to modern approaches to mastering this magnificent game.

The textbook consists of eight chapters, each designed for a specific level of chess player.

The first is the third chapter. In them, we will look at the basic rules of the game, the main positions and the beginnings that will help you master chess and reach the level of the 3rd category. Here we will get acquainted with the typical strategies, tactics and principles that are the basis of the game.

The fourth – seventh chapter. In them, we will dive into a deeper study of the game, moving from the 3rd level to the 1st level. We will focus on developing chess thinking, teaching various openings, positional games, and planning techniques. This chapter will help you to strengthen your skills and confidence at the chessboard.

Chapter 8 This is the basic knowledge from 1st category to Candidate Master of Sports (KMS). We will focus on the more complex aspects of the game (the basics of strategy), studying and analyzing the games of great chess players and analyzing mistakes. This will be a great opportunity to improve your level of play and make the transition to a higher knowledge of chess.

Epilogue

These are recommendations for further self-improvement. In the era of digital technology, chess has become more accessible than ever, and these recommendations will help you understand how to further enhance your skills.

By following this tutorial, you will discover a world of chess that not only develops your mind but also brings you joy. I hope that this book will be useful to you at every stage of your chess journey. Let’s embark on a new adventure of chess mastery!

Chapter 1

1.2 Chess terms: white and black squares, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, center, correct arrangement of pieces in the starting position (“the queen likes its color”), white and black pieces, moves of pieces, capture. Value of pieces

1.3 FIDE rules of the game, move 1.4 Attack on a piece, check, checkmate, stalemate, draw 1.5 FIDE rules of the game, partners

1.1 Chessboard

Chessboard Description

Chessboard

A chessboard is the surface on which a chess game is played. It consists of 64 squares (8x8), 32 light squares and 32 dark squares (in reality, the colors of the squares can be any combination).

Square Identification (Notation):

There are 64 squares or fields on the board.

Squares on a chessboard are conventionally called fields.

Fields are referred to as white and black, although in reality they might be different colors (e.g., light squares could be white, yellow, beige, etc., and dark squares could be brown, gray, green, or even red).

However, according to standard rules, light-colored squares should be called white squares, and dark-colored squares should be called black squares.

The squares are arranged in rows. There are 8 rows in total. Each row contains eight squares.

Rows of squares are called ranks. Similarly, there are files – there are also 8 of these.

Each row (rank) has its own number: from 1 to 8. Files are designated by Latin letters: from a to h.

You’ve likely noticed that the board resembles a coordinate system. That’s exactly right. However, instead of naming the axes, each square has its own unique name (e.g., e4, a1, h8).

Verticals, horizontals, and diagonals.

Three types of lines on a chessboard:

File (vertical line),

Rank (horizontal line),

Diagonal.

Key Terminology Used:

Chessboard: Standard term.

Squares/Fields: Used interchangeably, though “squares” is most common.

Light squares / White squares: Emphasizes the conventional naming.

Dark squares / Black squares: Emphasizes the conventional naming.

Rows: Clarified to be ranks.

Columns: Clarified to be files.

Ranks 1—8, Files a-h: Standard algebraic notation.

Lines: Files (vertical), Ranks (horizontal), Diagonals.

Centre

The Royal Flank

Flank The King’s Flank is the flank closest to the king at the beginning of a chess game, on the f, g, and h verticals. (red color on the diagram)

The Queen’s Flank is the flank closest to the queen at the beginning of a chess game, on the a, b, and c verticals. (green color on the diagram)

The horizontal cells are denoted by Latin letters from a to h from the Queen’s Flank to the King’s Flank, while the vertical cells are numbered from 1 to 8 from white to black. For example, in the initial setup, the white king is on the e1 square.

The book will use diagrams to represent the chess pieces, as follows, with their names in both Russian and international notation:

(A chess diagram is a graphical representation of a chess position, showing the chessboard with the pieces and pawns arranged on it. Due to their visual clarity, diagrams are widely used in teaching chess, solving chess problems and studies, and analyzing played games.)

K (king)

Q (queen)

R (rook)

N (kNight)

B (bishop)

p (pawn) or nothing

At the beginning of the game, each player has 16 pieces at his disposal: a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns. There are a total of 32 pieces on the board. See the diagram: (Arrangement of shapes)

Attention! The correct arrangement of the board is when the player’s left corner square is black (a1 or h8), which should be remembered! (There are boards without numbering).

First, place the pawns: white pawns in a row along the second horizontal line, and black pawns in a row along the seventh horizontal line.

Then, place the white rooks on the a1 and h1 squares, and the black rooks on the a8 and h8 squares.

Next to the rooks, place the white knights on the b1,g1 squares, and the black knights on the b8,g8 squares.

Next to the knights, place the bishops on the c1,f1 and c8,f8 squares, respectively.

We are left with the queen, the king, and two empty squares on the 1st and 8th rows. To avoid confusion, remember the following rule: “The queen likes its own color”, i.e. the white queen is placed on the white square (d1), and the black queen is placed on the black square (d8). The kings are placed on the remaining squares (e1, e8).

The pieces should be placed symmetrically.

If you have done everything correctly, you will get the following position:

The initial arrangement of the figures

A move in chess. Capturing a piece or a pawn. The general concept of a move: with the exception of castling, a move is the transfer of a piece from one square to another, either an empty square or a square occupied by an opponent’s piece. Moves in chess are made by the opponents in turn. The “touched-move” rule states: If you have already touched a piece to make a move, it must be made with that particular piece. And no other piece. If you want to correct a piece or several pieces on the board, you must warn your opponent with the word “Correcting!” or “J’adoube” if you are playing with a foreigner. J’adoube (in French transcription, “j’adoube”) is the French word for “correcting.” The fashion for using the word J’adoube began in Europe about 100 years ago. In Russia, the use of the term J’adoube is more of an exotic concept. In our country, it is more acceptable to say “I correct” or “Jadub.” Although in our country, they almost always say “I correct.” However, if you are playing abroad or with a foreign chess player, it is preferable to say “Jadub.”

So, if you’ve taken a piece, you must move only that piece and no other.

No piece, except for the rook during castling and the knight, can cross a square occupied by another piece (jump over other pieces).

If a piece moves onto a square occupied by an opponent’s piece, the opponent’s piece must be removed from the board by the player who made the move. This move is called capturing. The only piece that cannot be captured and removed from the board is the king.

Each piece has its own moves and capture of the opponent’s piece (pawn). Let’s explore them all.

Attention!!! After capturing (when we “eat” an opponent’s piece or pawn), the “eaten” piece (or pawn) is removed from the chessboard, and our piece (or pawn) that we attacked is placed in its place.

The pawn

The pawn

The pawn is the only piece whose move and attack rules differ. The rest of the figures match. The nominal value is 1 point.

Pawns only move forward. Attention!!! Pawns do not move back or sideways, unlike the rest of the pieces.

This is the only piece that cannot walk and strike backwards or horizontally. When a pawn is in the starting position (2nd rank for White, 7th rank for Black), it can move one or two squares forward as the player wishes.

Pawn move

After its first move, the pawn moves only one square forward in one move.

The pawn can beat the opponent’s pieces one square ahead diagonally to the right and left.

Pawn capture

Thus, a pawn moves forward and strikes diagonally one square. This is the only piece in chess that moves according to one rule and strikes according to another. The other pieces have the same movement and striking patterns.

Another important rule is the promotion rule. If a pawn reaches the last rank (the 8th rank for white pawns and the 1st rank for black pawns), it can be promoted to any other piece (except for the king).

Most often, the strongest piece is placed, the queen (but there are exceptions, when it is more profitable to place another piece). Thus, theoretically, it is possible to carry out 8 pawns and place 8 queens (queens are taken from other sets of pieces).

One of the most difficult rules related to pawns is called “capture on the passage.” This is a move in which a pawn can hit an opponent’s pawn if it jumped over a broken field. If a pawn “jumps” over a square that is “pushed through” by an opponent’s pawn, the opponent’s pawn can capture the pawn.

Capturing on the pass is performed on the same move.

Taking on the aisle

Your pawns are your infantry or soldiers. Since infantry walks on foot, pawns move slowly and cannot escape from stronger pieces. In a chess game, there are more pawns than other pieces, and they can be sacrificed to open a line for an attack.

However, pawn has one undeniable advantage, it can be promoted to any piece (except the king), which no other piece can boast of.

In addition, it is the pawns that determine which opening (beginning of the game) will be played, for example:

1.e4 e5 – open openings

1.e4 c5 – Sicilian Defense

1.c4 c5 – English Opening, etc.

So let’s summarize the uniqueness of the pawn:

It doesn’t go backwards, only forwards.

When the eighth horizontal is reached, the white pawn and when the first is reached, the black pawn miraculously turn into another piece.

He can take the opponent’s pawn through the broken field, that is, “on the pass”

The Pawn game is played according to the rules of chess.

The purpose of the game: whose pawn reaches the end of the board first wins. If the pawns run into each other, then the one whose move is lost (zugzwang- we will study in the future).

The Pawn game is useful because it makes it possible to memorize the movements and captures of pawns, including “taking on the pass”, as the most difficult element in the chess rules. Playing pawns is useful even for those who already know how the pieces move and have little experience playing chess. In the following topics, we will look at examples such as strong, weak pawns (passing pawn, etc.), zugzwang over there, the pawn game will be useful to us again.

Start the game with the pawns from this position.

It is interesting:

The original version of the game came to Russia not from Europe, but from Central Asia, so the names of the Russian chess pieces have preserved a literal translation from Arabic or Persian. It was only in the 11th century that European chess rules reached Russia. This is why many pieces have received a double name – one from the old Russian chess, the second from the European.

The pawn

The word “pawn” is the same root as “foot”, “infantry”. This name means “foot soldier”.

In other European countries. the languages of the translation of the name of this figure are the same. But in Germany, the name of the pawn « вauer” does not mean soldier, but “peasant”.

N (kNight)

The knight is the most unusual piece on the chessboard. It moves 2 squares forward and 1 sideways (or 1 square forward and 2 sideways) in any direction, forming the letter “G”.

Where can the horse go

(The knight moves from a black square to a white square and vice versa, but it cannot move from a white square to a white square or from a black square to a black square.) Additionally, the knight can jump over other pieces, so capturing an opponent’s piece occurs only on the square where the knight lands, rather than along its path.

(There is such an expression – “horse move”, that is, a particularly cunning and unexpected step).

For better memorization of how the horse moves, try to solve the famous chess problem “Horse move”.

The goal: to pass all the squares of the chessboard with the horse’s move so that the horse does not visit any square twice. It is best to do this on a piece of paper, numbering the moves. (You can start from the field a1)

It is interesting:

Horse (knight)

In ancient chess, this figure represented a “cavalry” – a rider on a horse. Over time, her image was simplified by removing the rider and leaving only the horse. But in many European languages, a chess knight continues to be called a rider. In France, a chess knight is a cavalier, in England it is a knight.

We just call it “the horse.” In Germany (springer), Poland (skoczek), Croatia (skakač) it translates as “jumper”, “steed”.

Elephant (bishop)

A bishop is a chess piece of equal strength to three pawns or a knight. Sometimes an elephant is mistakenly called an officer, but we will correctly call it an elephant. In English – speaking countries, the name Bishop is accepted.

The elephant walks diagonally for its entire length if it has no obstacles. At the beginning of the game, each player has two bishops. One moves on white squares, the other on black squares, so they are called white-square and black-square, i.e. elephants are called not by the color of the piece, but by the color of the squares on which it moves. Elephants always stick to the color from which they started the game.

If both of your elephants end up on the same color square, then know that something went wrong and you made an impossible move.

How an bishop walks

The path of an bishop can be restricted by other pieces on the chessboard. The diagram shows that the bishop has fewer squares it can move to because other white pieces are restricting its mobility.

How an bishop walks

How the bishop moves

The white bishop can take the black rook – the rook is removed from the board and the bishop is placed in its place.

How an bishop beats.

The bishop’s position after taking the rook.

It is interesting:

Bishop

In ancient chess, it was a piece depicting a war elephant with a rider. Its name was translated literally in Russia, it turned out to be “elephant”.

But in Europe, the name of the unknown animal “elephant” (in Persian “phil”) turned into “fool” (“ful”). In ancient European chess books, you can see that this figure was depicted as a little man in a hat with bells. Until now, in France, the “elephant” is called fou (fu), that is, a buffoon.

Later, in different countries, this person, who was close to the king, received more honorary titles: bishop (bishop) – in England (the upper part of the chess bishop resembles the headdress of bishops – the mitre. If you look at it from an angle, the mitre seems to consist of two parts, and from a distance it looks like there is an incision on it.)

Mitre

,runner (Läufer) – in Germany, messenger (goniec) – in Poland, shooter (streelec) – in the Czech Republic, hunter (lovec) – in Slovenia and Croatia, officer – in Bulgaria and Greece. And before the revolution, this figure was also commonly referred to as an “officer.” Only later was the ancient Russian name “elephant” officially assigned to it. And the figurine’s appearance remained the same, European. Therefore, a chess bishop does not look like an elephant (a beast with a trunk), but a man in a tall hat (a bishop, an officer).

The Rook

The Rook

The rook moves in a straight line, up and down vertically or from side to side horizontally. The rook can move to the maximum number of fields if it has no obstacles.

The rook cannot jump over other pieces.

The rook moves in a straight line

The white rook can move directly up the board and capture the black knight on c8.

Castling is a special move that involves the use of a rook and a king. In a castling move, the king and the rook are moved along the 1st (white) and 8th (black) rows, and this is considered as a single move. However, there are certain rules that must be followed in order to perform a castling move.

To perform a castling move, you need to move the king two squares in one direction, and then move the rook next to the king on the opposite side. However, there are certain conditions that must be met in order for a castling move to be possible:

For a rook, this must be the first move

For a king, this must be the first move

The path between the king and the rook must be clear (no pieces can block it).

The king cannot be in check or pass an attacked square (also known as a “bitched square”).

Castling cannot be done!

There are two types of castling:

1. Short castling – towards the king’s flank.

2. Long castling – towards the queen’s flank.

In the diagram, White is doing a short castling, and Black is doing a long castling.