Chess Strategy
and at the same time entertaining, and to appeal less to the
memory of my readers than to their common sense and intelligence.
I hope in that way not to have strayed too far from the ideal I
had in mind when writing this book, namely, to apply to chess the
only method of teaching which has proved productive in all
branches of science and art, that is, the education of individual
thought.
If I have succeeded in this, I shall have the satisfaction of
having contributed a little to the furthering, in the wide
circles in which it is played, of the game which undoubtedly
makes the strongest appeal to the intellect.
EDWARD LASKER.
PART I
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY
I. RULES OF THE GAME
A GAME of chess is played by two opponents on a square board
consisting of sixty-four White and Black squares arranged
alternately. The forces on each side comprise sixteen units,
namely a King, a Queen, two Rooks, two Bishops, two Knights, and
eight Pawns. All units move according to different laws, and the
difference in their mobility is the criterion of their relative
value and of the fighting power they contribute towards achieving
the ultimate aim, namely, the capture of the opposing King.
Before I can explain what is meant by the capture of the King, I
must set out the rules of the game in full.
Diagram 1 shows the position the forces take up for the contest.
The board is so placed that there is a white square at the top
left-hand corner. The Rooks take up their positions at the corner
squares, and next to them the Knights. Next to those again are
the Bishops, and in the centre the King and Queen, the White
Queen on a White square, and the Black Queen on a Black square.
The eight pawns occupy the ranks immediately in front of the
pieces. From this initial position, White begins the game in
which the players must move alternately.
The pieces move in the following way: The Rook can move from any
square it happens to be on, to any other square which it can
reach in a straight line, either perpendicularly or horizontally,
unless there is another piece of the same colour in the way, in
which case it can only move as far as the square immediately in
front of that piece. If it is an opposing piece which blocks the
way, he can move on to the square that piece occupies, thereby
capturing it. The piece thus captured is removed from the board.
The Bishop can operate along either of the diagonals of which the
square on which he is standing forms part. A Bishop on a White
square can there fore never get on to a Black one.
---------------------------------------
8 | #R | #Kt| #B | #Q | #K | #B | #Kt| #R |
|---------------------------------------|
7 | #P | #P | #P | #P | #P | #P | #P | #P |
|---------------------------------------|
6 | | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------------|
5 | | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------------|
4 | | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------------|
3 | | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------------|
2 | ^P | ^P | ^P | ^P | ^P | ^P | ^P | ^P |
|---------------------------------------|
1 | ^R | ^Kt| ^B | ^Q | ^K | ^B | ^Kt| ^R |
---------------------------------------
a b c d e f g h
DIAG. 1.
The Queen commands both the straight and the oblique lines which
start from the square she stands on, and therefore unites the
power of both Rook and Bishop in her movements.
The King has similar powers to the Queen, but curtailed, inasmuch
as he can only move one step at a time. He therefore only
controls one neighbouring square in any direction.
The Knight plays and captures alternately on White and Black
squares, and only reaches such squares as are nearest to him
without being immediately adjacent; his move is as it were
composed of two steps, one square in a straight line, and one in
an oblique direction. Diagram 2 will illustrate this.
[Footnote: I should like to quote my friend Mr. John Hart's
clever definition of the Knight's move, though it may not be new.
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