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11 Best Chess Boards to Earn That Checkmate On

Chess is one of the world’s most historic games, with a lineage that dates back as far as the 6th century.  Like a fine wine, the highly strategic board game only seems to get better with age. And the chess scene seems to be more popular than ever thanks to Netflix’s fantastic series, The Queen’s Gambit. So get in on the action yourself by ordering one of these awesome chess sets below.

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Chess Pieces

If you have a chess board at home and are looking to give it some new flair, you can look into just getting your chess set some fresh pieces. Whether you're looking for something basic or a set that is a bit more glamorous, there are tons of options to choose from. 

Chess Setup

If you're just delving into the world of chess, one of the first things you'll have to learn is to set up your chess board properly. Chess.com has a great article on their site that breaks it down as simply as possible. 

First, ensure that your chess set is oriented so that a light square sits at the bottom right corner of the board. From there, you can begin aligning all of your pawns across the second rank (row).

Your rooks (castles) will be placed in each corner. Your knights (horses) will go just inside the rooks. And your bishops (pointed pieces) will go just inside the knights.

You'll just have two pieces left, your king and your queen. The queen is always placed on her own color and the king on the opposite. The game is then ready to go, with white always being the first to move.

How to Play Chess

Chess is the type of game that requires quite a lot of time to get the hang of. It's not exactly difficult to learn the various moves and pieces of the game, but the strategy and outmaneuvering of your opponent is what really takes time to get comfortable with. 

There's an article on Chess.com that breaks down each chess piece individually into YouTube videos. From the lowly pawn to the power queen, each one is explained in a way that is easy to digest and get a handle on. 

Chess Openings

If you aren't a chess expert, you may have seen within Netflix's hit, The Queen's Gambit, that there are a mind-boggling amount of ways to strategically open the game. Sure, you can wing it instead. But if you would rather take a bit of time to learn the deeper elements of the game, there are plenty of resources out there.

I. A. Horowitz's Chess Openings Theory and Practice is a very highly reviewed paperback that delves into the beginning portions of chess play. As is Paul Van der Sterren's FCO: Fundamental Chess Openings.

However, if you want to mold your game after Beth Harmon herself, perhaps you opt to learn the Sicilian strategy via Tim Sawyer's Sicilian Tactics: Chess Opening Combinations and Checkmates.

 

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