First Game?

You have played a whole chess game from start to finish.

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You have played a whole chess game from start to finish.

Your very first game

If you know how every piece moves, you are ready to play a real game. People have played chess for almost 1,500 years, and it began in India. Now it is your turn. Play the game all the way to the end, and you are a chess player.

 

How a game works

  • Turn the board so the corner square at your right hand is light. Put each queen on a square of her own color. The white queen starts on a light square, and the black queen starts on a dark one.
  • To choose colors, hide a white pawn in one fist and a black pawn in the other. Your opponent picks a hand and plays that color.
  • White makes the first move, and then you take turns, one move each.
  • Checkmate ends the game, and it means a king is in check and has no way out.
  • Sometimes a player is not in check, but has no move at all. That is called stalemate, and the game is a draw.
  • When only the two kings are left, the game is also a draw.
  • A player can also give up, which is called resigning, and then the game is over too.

 

Who do you play?

You can play anyone who knows how the pieces move. That can be a grown-up at home, a friend, a cousin or a classmate. If there is a chess club near you, you can play someone there too. If there is nobody to play with yet, ask a grown-up who plays to be your first opponent. You can also ask at school and at the library.

 

Short game or long game?

A short game and a long game both count. In 1984, a game between two masters ended after just three moves. White made a mistake, lost a piece and gave up. The longest game in the Guinness World Records book took 269 moves and lasted more than 20 hours. Today you play with no clock, so take your time on every move. If you are not sure about a rule, ask a grown-up. Pick every move yourself, so the game is really yours. If you lose, ask for a rematch.

 

How you get the sticker

Tell your grown-up or coach who you played. Then say how the game ended. It is even better if they watched you play. Your grown-up or coach checks it and hands you the sticker. A grown-up at home can check it too. Every sticker in your passport is earned by doing something real. Did you play a whole game before you had the passport? It still counts. A game you lost counts too.