Chess is a very famous game played by two players on a specifically designed chessboard. The game, as we know it today, emerged in the southern part of Europe during the 15th century. The European chess evolved from a similar but much older Indian game.
Nowadays, chess is still one of the most popular games worldwide and it is played by many people at home, in tournaments, clubs and online. It is a game that solidifies relationships between family and friends, especially when mentoring is involved.
There are many different variations of chess sets and boards, however all of them have something in common. A typical chess board is divided into 64 squares colored in black and white and appointed in an eight by eight grid. Depending on what you are looking for, chess sets and boards can be found in many different sizes and variations.
A folding chess set, for example is one variation of a chess set, which many people who play chess for fun, find quite useful. There is also a special travel chess set, that is usually smaller in size. This kind of set could be perfect if you are going on a vacation or camping since it doesn’t require much space and it is easy to use. Folding and travel chess sets are usually made of some variation of wood.
There are also magnetic chess sets available on the market and they are considered to be very useful since the pieces cannot slide from the board. They are made from various materials like wood, plastic or metal and come in variety of sizes as well. The chess pieces are magnetized and adhere to the board by a metal plate fitted under the board. You can play with a magnetic chess set in the car, train, boat, or space shuttle! Well, maybe not during launch of the shuttle, but you get the idea.
Nowadays, electronic chess sets and electronic chess computers have become more popular since they are also quite convenient for travel and easy to use. These kinds of chess sets and boards even have some really nice features like a game storage and save function, which is very convenient if you want to pause your game and continue another day.
Many chess computers allow you to play against the computer at varying levels of difficulty, so you can sharpen your skills before playing against a real person. It can also be fun to turn off the single player mode and play against a real human opponent.
No matter which of the chess sets and boards you choose, the game will stay the same and the rules will not change. If you’re new to the game, the first rule of chess is that a player in possession of white pieces always starts first. At the start of the game both players control the same amount of pieces – a king and queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks and eight pawns.
The goal of the game is to checkmate the other player’s king. “Checkmate” means that the king cannot move away from an attack. Some players call it war without bloodshed. Most avid players call it fun!
This is a folding chess board, with all the chess pieces. The pieces store inside the board when it is folded closed. A classic style made in sturdy wood.
