Many games are entertaining, but there are also some that can help develop the mind. From all of these, one in particular that is played by many individuals around the world is chess. Chess is known to help people develop their strategic thinking because it requires the player to think in different angels and also think ahead.

What is chess?

It is perhaps the king of all board games that has been around for centuries. It is played on an eight by eight checkered board and is a two player game. Since its invention in the 15th century in Spain, it has been played both professionally and for pleasure. There is, in fact; a governing body called the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) or World Chess Federation that acts as the governing body for many international chess competitions. In fact, there is the world championships, world women’s and junior championship too. The game is very popular among many intellectual personalities as it said to stimulate the brain.

The elements

The game consists of the board which is 8 x 8 squares and each player has 16 pieces. Each piece has its own powers or moves. The most powerful piece is the queen. However, if a pawn reaches the 8th row, it can be promoted to any piece needed. In most cases it is a queen that is taken so what this means is you can, in fact, have two queens of your color on the board. The pieces each player gets initially include, eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, a king and a queen.

Playing

If you are playing in a competitive environment, you may need to use a chess clock which has two timers and buttons that are pressed as soon ass one player makes a move. The two never run at the same time And the faster a player makes a move the better. There are so many variations as far as the timing rules of the game are concerned, and they get more competitive when experienced players are playing.

How to buy a chess board

If you want to buy a set, you can easily get on in a board games shop in the mall. Bit you may have more selection if you look online. There are wooden, metal and plastic models that can cost ten to five hundred dollars. Depending on your budget and level of competency, you can choose one that suits you.…