Chess Game
Chess – the history of the board game is shrouded in various legends and stories. One of the most famous legends is about the ruler of India – the Raja and the highest caste of Hinduism – the Brahmin. It is believed that the events took place in the 6th century, in Northwestern India. Read below about the history of the chess game.
Traditional Chess Rules
The rules of chess are quite difficult and require logical, strategic thinking, very good memory, and at least a bit of good intuition – after all, no game is without its uncertainties!
First of all, the game board, divided into 64 squares, is positioned so that the bottom black square is to the player's left. The player with the white pieces makes the first move.
The chess game itself is divided into three phases: the opening, the middlegame, also known as the middlegame, and the endgame, also known as the endgame:
In the opening, the same sequences of moves often repeat. The opening, or defense, refers to the first moves in chess.
In the middlegame, the game picks up speed – there are still many pieces on the board, various combinations are made, and the opponent's king begins to be attacked.
In the endgame, only a few pieces remain – the king becomes active, participates in attacks, and advances into the opponent's territory.
You've probably heard of the famous check, stalemate, and checkmate?
- Check is declared when any piece threatens the opponent's king.
- Stalemate occurs when the opponent has no legal moves and the king is not in check.
- Checkmate happens when the opponent is in check and cannot escape.
The goal of a chess game is, of course, to win, which can be achieved in several ways:
- by checkmating the opponent;
- when the opponent sees inevitable defeat and resigns;
- if playing with a clock, when the opponent's time runs out and the other player has only a lone king.
Sometimes the game ends in a draw, when one player has no legal moves and the king is not in check (stalemate) or by mutual agreement, but there are 3 rules:
- when the same position occurs three times with the same move order and one of the players claims a draw;
- if no pawn has moved and no piece has been captured in the last 50 moves;
- there will be no checkmate (for example, only kings remain in the game, etc.)
Chess Pieces
In a chess game, there are a total of 32 pieces – 16 black and 16 white. Each player has 8 pawns, 2 bishops, 2 knights, 2 rooks, and one queen and one king. One player plays with white pieces, the other with black.
Chess pieces are used strategically – they are used to solve tactical tasks and achieve set goals. Pieces in the game are often valued in points and units of checkmate (e.g., a pawn is worth 1 point or a knight is worth 3 pawns), but it should be noted that the value depends on the development, position, and strategy of the piece, so sometimes the point valuation loses its meaning.
Chess Pieces by Importance and Value
King
Considered the most important chess piece, it cannot be exchanged for any other and can move in all directions by one square. In terms of combat abilities, the king is considered equal to a bishop or knight along with a pawn. This piece cannot be captured, except in the exceptional case of the appearance of a “prince” – a piece with the king's moves but without privileges.
The game starts with the white king on E1 and the black king on E8. In total, the king controls 8 squares. The players' goal is for the white pieces to checkmate the black king and vice versa. When the king is in a position where it can be captured by the opponent, a check is declared.
Queen
The most powerful and strongest chess piece, moving diagonally, vertically, and horizontally. In terms of combat abilities, the queen is stronger than the bishop and rook, as it can move to another position on the board in just one move. A weak queen is considered a princess – a “promoted” pawn that has reached the final rank.
The game starts with the white queen on D1 and the black queen on D8. In total, the queen controls up to 27 squares.
Rook
Also an important piece and considered one of the strongest pieces in chess, second only to the queen. Additionally, the rook is considered stronger than the knight and bishop, and exchanging them for a rook is considered a significant gain. They can also outshine the most powerful piece – 2 rooks are more valuable than a queen. They move diagonally.
The game starts with the white rooks in each corner of their side on A1 and H1, and the black rooks on A8 and H8. The rook controls 14 squares. The rook can move up to the first obstacle horizontally and vertically – when encountering an opponent's piece, the latter is removed from the board and the rook proudly takes its place. Additionally, the rook performs castling with the king.
Bishop
A piece similar in power to the knight but weaker than the rook by two pawns. The bishop, like the rook, moves diagonally – the white bishop on white squares, the black bishop on black squares. The bishop's movement on the squares is unlimited.
The game starts with the white bishops (one on a white square, the other on a black square) on C1 and F1, and the black bishops on C8 and F8. The bishop controls up to 13 squares.
Knight
Similar in power to the bishop, it can jump over pieces and captures only on the final square of its move. The knight moves in an L shape – two squares horizontally or vertically, then one square perpendicular. An interesting feature of this piece is that it jumps from a black square to a white one, and from a white square to a black one.
The game starts with the white knights on B1 and G1, and the black knights on B8 and G8. The knight, like the king, controls only 8 squares. If, towards the end of the game, one side has a king and a knight, and the other only a knight, a draw is declared, as checkmate becomes impossible.
Pawn
This is considered the weakest piece, capable of moving only forward, unable to jump over anything, and capturing only diagonally standing pieces. It is important to note that the placement of pawns on the board is very important – their moves, groupings, etc., best reflect the game's strategy.
Players start a chess game with 8 pawns each.
The white pieces are on the second row in squares A2, B2, C2, D2, E2, F2, G2, H2, while the black pieces are on the seventh row in squares A7, B7, C7, D7, E7, F7, G7, H7. A pawn controls 2 squares.
Chess Online at Casino Companies (chess casino)
If you don't have chess at home but still want to experience the joy of playing chess – try online chess at casino companies. Online chess allows you to play in real-time from any device, anywhere in the world, learn the intricacies of the game, and at least touch the niche gaming market.
Interestingly, despite the wide range of online casino games available in Lithuania, chess betting is more popular than chess casino games. This is probably due to the complexity, difficulty, and relatively long duration of the game. However, there's no need to be disappointed, as there are still some such games – chess is considered an excellent casino table game.
Chess Match at a Casino in Spain
In online chess at casino companies, you can choose whether to play against another person or artificial intelligence. Playing against another person is a bit risky because the opponent might use special software to help them make the best moves. Additionally, some online chess games at casino companies allow you to set the level – if you're a beginner, you can try the easiest version of the game, and if you feel like a pro-level player, you can challenge the computer and choose the hardest level. The principle of the game is to register on the website, and the computer randomly selects a game companion for you. On some websites, you can play without even registering.
It's worth mentioning that some websites allow you to download the game to your computer and play uninterruptedly, even daily. Although real chess pieces are very beautiful and unique, online chess tries to captivate the player with very colorful and high-quality graphics to appeal to fans of more dynamic games. Especially in the latest online games, chess pieces are presented in 3D, and the game board is also shown from different perspectives, making it really fun to play. Not only the graphics but also the soundtrack becomes another condition that takes the game to the next level.
Best Online Casinos for Games:
Chess Online – Is It Worth Betting?
The game of chess has also found its niche among betting enthusiasts. So far, bets are a bit more popular abroad, while in Lithuania, chess betting is a relatively new and not very well-known betting option. It may be that some betting enthusiasts do not know the rules of chess, and the game itself can sometimes last even several days, so these bets get a bit lost in the very colorful and dynamic swirl of other casino games. And that's a shame. First of all, chess betting is popular only among experts – there are few actual gamblers, and knowledge of strategies and details is very important in these bets.
A natural question arises, what can you bet on in chess? The answer is simple – most often on the winner of the bet and the outcome of the game. Those who understand chess probably know that a draw is quite a common outcome of this game, especially if experts who know various strategies and game secrets are playing. Besides this bet, it is also possible to bet on performance, in other words, the number of moves made, for example, betting on how many moves player X will make before winning the game, or with which piece and move the game will start. This way, casino companies offer additional bonuses.
How to know what to bet on? One strategy is to follow a favorite (or just randomly chosen by intuition) player. By gathering information about the personality, observing their choices and moves online, delving into the way and specifics of the game, you can somewhat predict their choices and strategies. Of course, every chess game is different, but psychology also plays a fairly important role in this game. Another way to place bets is to rely on the players' rating system, which provides all the relevant information about the player's winnings.
When and where to bet? Most bets are offered during major chess tournaments. One of the most popular is the annual World Chess Championship, which brings together the best players at the game table. In some casinos, you can place advance bets, as favorites usually take strong positions in the bets even before they start playing.
So, a specific game does not always mean boring and unprofitable bets – on the contrary, the more unusual the game, the more chances to surprise yourself. Because what, if not beginner's luck, brings the most joy?
TOP Companies for Betting
Chess Online for Free
The first chess programs in the world appeared in 1984 and 1985. A few years later, player databases began to be created. As game experts say, computers have had a very significant impact on the development and evolution of the game – modern chess databases contain a multitude of grandmaster games, the best moves, statistics, which you can rely on when playing simple chess or participating in chess betting.
Chess online for free is very useful for chess tournament enthusiasts, as playing chess online is somewhat easier than facing an opponent at a wooden chessboard – it avoids tension, suspicious glances, predictable moves. Moreover, after your game, your game analysis is provided – moves are described, advice is given on how to achieve better results and defeat the opponent in the next game.
Free Chess Games
Chess games can also be downloaded to your computer and played uninterruptedly, even daily. Although chess pieces are very beautiful and unique, free chess games try to compensate for the gaming experience with very colorful and high-quality graphics to appeal to fans of more dynamic games. Especially in the latest online games, chess pieces are presented in 3D, and the game board is also shown from different perspectives, making it really fun to play. Not only the graphics but also the soundtrack becomes another condition that takes the game to the next level.
As already mentioned, you can find really reliable and very comprehensive free game websites online. Chess online for free allows players to learn, play various chess games completely free of charge. Moreover, online chess is not limited to just the traditional chess game – there are many types and ways of playing online chess. For example, new chess-related puzzles, a famous player's quote, or even a funny joke are presented every day.
Perhaps the most popular chess puzzle, created by Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler, is “Knight's Tour,” where the goal is to visit all the squares on the board with a knight. The essence of the game is that the knight can visit the same square only once. Or the puzzle “8 Queens,” where the aim is to place 8 queens on the board. The secret is that queens can only be placed on squares that are not attacked by other queens.
Chess Games – Some Interesting Facts
You have already seen that chess games are truly unique and fascinating in their variety.
Be to, žymių faktų apie šachmatus yra tikrai nemažai, tad pateikiame pačius įdomiausius:
- Did you know that the elite chess community included people like Benjamin Franklin, Bill Clinton, Albert Einstein, military leader Napoleon, writer Edgar Allan Poe, Leo Tolstoy, Frank Sinatra, Bill Gates, Ludwig van Beethoven, Winston Churchill, Pope John Paul II, Thomas Jefferson, and many, many others!
- Interestingly, on the international chess website, more than 4,952,978 games are played per day.
- The longest theoretical chess game length is 5949 moves, and the longest chess game played in a tournament in Belgrade was 269 moves.
- In 1997, after losing a chess match to the first computer-created artificial chess intelligence Deep Blue, the world's best chess player Garry Kasparov experienced a mild shock… It was only in 2003 that he managed to achieve a hard-fought draw against another chess program – Deep Junior.
- There is a town in the world (Marottichal in India) where people chose to play chess as an alternative to drinking. And they play excellently – many of the town's residents excel in championships and hold quite high positions in the world rankings!
Thus, both traditional and online chess develop a person's strategic thinking, patience, improve problem-solving, situation analysis, and forecasting skills. It is said that this game has a positive impact on brain function, even academic results! With chess, you can also solve puzzles or play chess casino, so due to the variety and choice of games, chess has remained popular to this day.
Playing Chess (Clubs and Tournaments)
All over the world, including Lithuania, various chess tournaments have been organized for a long time, where both experienced players and newcomers can test their logic and strategy knowledge. You probably didn't even think that Lithuanians gather to play chess every week in as many as 30 of the largest cities and towns in Lithuania. Of course, although still relevant, the peak of popularity for chess tournaments was around the year 2000 – even schoolchildren played in chess tournaments then. Today, many tournaments have moved online – players eagerly play in the virtual space from all over the world, and in Lithuania, many such tournaments are organized and regulated by the Lithuanian Chess Federation.
To learn the art of chess, players of various levels gather in chess clubs and even schools! There are at least dozens of such clubs in Lithuania, and some of the most popular ones are the Vilnius Chess Club, ISM Chess Club, Kaunas Chess Club. Although some clubs were established quite recently, they are expanding very successfully, as the number of chess enthusiasts wanting to improve in this ancient intellectual game is rapidly increasing every day. And those who do not know how to play should not be discouraged – both clubs and later tournaments will open their doors wide to everyone who wants to play.
If you do not have the opportunity to play in person (or maybe you are still not confident in your abilities), you can always read chess magazines, books, various publications, and articles online, which widely describe the rules of the game, moves, strategies, present chess news, and more relevant information.
The History of Chess
The history of chess as a board game is shrouded in various legends and stories. One of the most famous legends is about the Indian ruler – the raja and the highest caste of Hinduism – the Brahmin. It is believed that the events took place in the 6th century, in Northwestern India.
The legend tells that the then Indian raja Balhait announced that he would generously reward anyone who created a game that develops the mind, wisdom, logical thinking, diligence, courage, and many skills. One of the Brahmins named Sissa proposed a war-related game played on a wooden board with 64 squares, with special pieces symbolizing warriors of different ranks. The raja liked the game immensely and, wanting to thank him, allowed him to ask for any reward.
Sissa asked only for grains. It might seem like too small a reward for a game that had already become one of the most popular at that time, but the beauty of the legend lay in the grains. It turns out that the Brahmin asked for just one grain for the first square, twice as many for the second, and so on, until reaching the final, 64th square, where the number of grains amounted to 9,223,372,036,854,775,808! Interestingly, to grow that many grains, the entire surface of the Earth would need to be sown with grains 8 times. Of course, this number proves that the limits of human mind and capabilities are boundless – just like in the game of chess.
The spread of chess in Europe is associated with the 7th century, and from the 12th century, this board game spread among the nobility. Moreover, the European contribution was also quite significant – in the 10th century, the game board was colored with different colors. When the game of chess reached Lithuania is also not precisely known, but it is believed that it was already played in the 16th century. The first chess pieces from that time were found in the mounds of Trakai, Kaunas, and Klaipėda. At the same time, the rules of modern chess, which are still followed today, were formed.
