54
votes
Can all 64 squares be attacked or defended by the eight pieces?
If the two bishops travel on the same color squares, then all 64 squares can be covered by the eight pieces. However, if the bishops must travel on opposite colors, then the maximum number of squares ...
- 651
34
votes
Wrongly placed chessboard - what happens?
It's wrong because the rules say so:
2.1 The chessboard is composed of an 8 x 8 grid of 64 equal squares alternately light (the ‘white’ squares) and dark (the ‘black’ squares).
The chessboard is ...
- 25k
26
votes
Accepted
If a chess board is disturbed, can the game continue?
From the FIDE Laws of Chess, article 7.6:
If, during a game, it is found that any piece has been displaced from its correct square the position before the irregularity shall be reinstated. If the ...
- 5,949
23
votes
Accepted
Render a chessboard from a PGN file
You can use the SVG rendering functionalities of python-chess. This will allow you to create a SVG-formatted visualisation of any board position loaded using python-chess.
FEN to SVG
For example, ...
- 12k
14
votes
How can one easily learn chess board coordinates?
Some websites offer "coordinate drills". I'm not sure how effective they are for learning, but you can certainly give them a try. I found it to be surprisingly entertaining to try to beat my personal ...
- 10.6k
8
votes
Render a chessboard from a PGN file
Yes, of course it's possible. I've done it a lot professionally. However, there is no tool that just takes a PGN chess game and convert it into images. You will need to do some programming, not very ...
- 22.6k
8
votes
Accepted
Which online chessboard orientation do professional players prefer?
Since over the board chess is played with each player's pieces starting on the side closest to them, the natural board orientation is with your own pieces on the bottom. This is the default ...
- 106
7
votes
How can one easily learn chess board coordinates?
Memorize not just squares, but ranks and files. a: Queen's Rook b: Queen's kNight, c: Queen's Bishop, d: Queen, e: King, f: King's Bishop, g: King's kNight, h: King's Rook. 1: White's back rank, 2: ...
- 2,270
7
votes
Accepted
What is the correct name for a part of a chessboard: 'square' or 'cell'?
Yes, that's a "square". The word "cell" is never used. E.g. from the Wikipedia article:
Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid....
- 25k
7
votes
Accepted
Order of pieces in one-dimensional array
They're both equally natural, they just start at a different square. But that choice is arbitrary anyway. Printing to a terminal is one of the least critical things a chess engine does with a board, ...
- 28.4k
6
votes
Where can I find Pauls' 1874 article on the n-queens problem?
For people stumbling on this question: volume 29 is available online though Google Books since februari 2015.
- 61
6
votes
What did Benjamin Franklin mean in this quote?
That sentence is taken out of context. I copy here the text of the full paragraph, which answers your question:
If the game is not to be played rigorously, according to the rules above mentioned, ...
- 3,373
6
votes
What does it take to become a professional chess player?
You don't need to be a professional to participate in a tournament, you just have to sign up for the tournament (as long as it's not by invitation only or has minimum rating requirements). You may ...
- 10.6k
6
votes
Can you identify the manufacturer or specific design of these chess pieces?
This is beautiful set, and a nice photo. I imagine it is a family heirloom that has gained a nice patina from much use. It looks very much like one of the original sets from the 1800s by Jacques of ...
- 8,686
5
votes
How can one easily learn chess board coordinates?
This is something that you gain through experience. One good way to obtain that kind of experience would be to buy a large game collection - for example, a modern algebraic edition of the 1953 Zurich ...
- 456
5
votes
48 pieces on one board
It is one of many forms of three-player chess, apparently called 3 Man Chess. Rules are explained here.
- 20.9k
5
votes
What does it take to become a professional chess player?
To become a professional player who makes a living from tournaments, you really need a GM+ level. Even as a GM, you might find yourself struggling for your bills.
Raise your FIDE to 2500, come back ...
- 22.6k
5
votes
Wrongly placed chessboard - what happens?
I don't think there's anything in the game that's strictly tied to the colors of the squares. You can still number the ranks and files from the bottom-left corner and e.g. Bishops would start on ...
- 332
5
votes
Tiniest readable board and pieces design
Well, the minimum recognizable size could be 3x3 for each figurine (+1 as field separator if you are spendable) thus you could even fit it in the classical 32x32 icon format. (The pics at the bottom ...
- 17k
4
votes
Share a board in realtime to teach chess
Lichess has a feature called "study" which allows collaboration and best of all it is free: https://en.lichess.org/blog/V0KrLSkAAMo3hsi4/study-chess-the-lichess-way
- 20.9k
4
votes
Which chess variant has the largest board?
Taikyoku shogi should be a good candidate. It was created in the 16th century, so it's a variant that has actually been played. The board size is 36x36, and it has 209 different types of pieces.
- 9,101
4
votes
Accepted
Are there non-Chess games that use a chess board with "black on the right"
In Spain checkers is played with the board placed that way. Alternatively you can place the board the same way as chess, but then pieces are placed at light squares.
- 1,211
4
votes
Accepted
Magnetic chess question
Magnetic chess sets have a metallic board and small magnets in each of the pieces.
- 99.9k
3
votes
How can one easily learn chess board coordinates?
I see from your profile that you are familiar with programming concepts. As a programmer myself, familiar with hexadecimal and other number base notations, I have found it easier to convert the ...
- 191
3
votes
Which chess variant has the largest board?
Another contender is Kubikschach. A 3-dimensional variant played on an 8x8x8 board (512 squares total)
- 31
3
votes
Real Chess Board which detects the moves we do
I can't find a link anymore, but I remember seeing somewhere (perhaps in the Netherlands?) that they used cameras or mobile phones suspended above the board in order to visually register the moves. ...
- 20.9k
3
votes
Accepted
What sort of strategies unfold on this elongated board?
As soon as you change the chessboard in chess, you have to re-assess the relative value of the pieces, as a piece's value is directly affected by its mobility and scope. Note that this is already the ...
- 12k
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