Chess piece
In the game of chess , both players each use a set of 16 pieces , which are called chess pieces . The two sentences are similar and only differ in their respective color. The colors are referred to as white and black , even if this is usually not literally true. For example, the "white" figures are often made of light wood and the "black" ones are made of dark wood .
The 16 chess pieces of a party are the king , the queen , two rooks , two bishops , two knights and eight pawns . This composition is a symbol of the court and army of traditional kingdoms . Because of the pawn promotion , additional pieces may be necessary in the course of a game (but rarely). A few sets of figures therefore contain a second lady in each color.
Both in the colloquial sense and in the official usage of the FIDE rules, the word figure refers to all chess pieces. In the traditional language of German-speaking chess players, however , the designation figure does not include the pawns, as these are fundamentally different from the other pieces. However, the term is often further restricted to the minor figures ; thus “winning figures” means conquering a bishop or jumper.
Train wise
The individual pieces differ in the way they move. In the case of the five figures (in the traditional German sense), these are always rotational and mirror-symmetrical (“in all directions”) and there is no difference between pure movement and pulling. On the other hand, pawns can only move "forward" (in the direction of the opposing camp) and strike forward diagonally.
“Straight” means horizontal and vertical, “oblique” parallel to a diagonal .
| Figure name | number | Movement pattern | Exchange value in pawn units (approx.) | Starting fields (white) | Starting fields (black) |
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 king |
1 | a square straight or diagonal ; when castling two squares sideways towards the rook | ∞ | e1 | e8 |
 lady |
1 | straight or diagonal, as long as there is no piece between the start and end fields | 9 | d1 | d8 |
 tower |
2 | straight, as long as there is no piece between the start and end fields; in castling, jump onto the square crossed by the king | 5 | a1, h1 | a8, h8 |
 runner |
2 | diagonally, as long as there is no piece between the start and end fields | 3 | c1, f1 | c8, f8 |
 Jumper |
2 | two fields straight, then one field perpendicular to it; see also Rösselsprung . The jumper can jump over his own or opposing pieces. | 3 | b1, g1 | b8, g8 |
 Farmer |
8th | Move: one space straight forward, optionally two with the first move. Hit: one square forward. Special case: en passant . |
1 | a2, b2, c2,…, g2, h2 | a7, b7, c7,…, g7, h7 |
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initial position
When setting up the stones, the rule is that the lady comes to stand on a field of her color (“The lady loves her color”). Especially if there is no lettering, pay attention to the 90 ° orientation of the game board so that there is a white field in the front right corner.
Exchange value
In older chess literature and in game analyzes, all pieces except for pawns and kings are often referred to as officers . A distinction is made between:
- Heavy pieces - queen and rooks - which can checkmate the opposing king alone with their king, if no other pieces remain on the board, and
- Light pieces - jumpers and bishops - who cannot checkmate without the support of other pieces.
In order to be able to compare the balance of power on both sides, the value that the pieces have according to experience is given in so-called pawn units . The approximate values are:
- Knight : three pawns,
- Bishop : three pawns,
- Rook : five pawns,
- Queen : nine pawns.
Since the king cannot be beaten, he has no exchange value.
However, the value of a piece always depends on its current position. For chess programs in particular , it is therefore necessary to specify and adapt these values.
design
The figure shape commonly used today, called Staunton figures , was designed by Nathaniel Cook in 1849 . It was promoted by the then leading player Howard Staunton and subsequently got his name. In 1924 it was taken over by the World Chess Federation ( FIDE ) when it was founded. The design impresses with its clarity, restrained symbolism and its practicality. The worldwide success of these figures in the 20th century is due to their massiveness and uncomplicated production. The figures proposed in Germany from 1934 in the federal form design, again more simply designed and easier to manufacture, have not caught on internationally.
Historically, the appearance of the chess pieces reflects their cultural and social background more than it translates the rules of the game into its form. One famous historical design is represented by the Lewis chess pieces , believed to have been made in Norway in the 12th century.
Josef Hartwig (1880–1956) created a more abstract and symbolic form of the rules of movement with his figure design for the so-called Bauhaus chess game from 1923. The design, modified in 1924, is based on the basic forms of cube and ball .
Figure designations
Since the figure designations depend on the national language, figure symbols (figurine notation) are preferred in international publications. The names of the figures represent a feudal state around a royal couple in many languages. In some languages they are understood as figures of an army (without a couple).
| king | lady | tower | runner | Jumper | Farmer | |
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| Unicode | ♔ ♚ | ♕ ♛ | ♖ ♜ | ♗ ♝ | ♘ ♞ | ♙ ♟ |
| Arabic / العربية | ملك (malek) king |
وزير (wazīr) minister |
قلعة (qalaʿa) fortress |
فيل (fīl) elephant |
حصان (husān) horse |
جندي (jundī) soldier |
| Bosnian | K - kralj | D - dama | T - great | L - lovac | S - skakač | pješak |
| Bulgarian | Ц Цар (Tsar) | Д Дама (Dama) | Т Топ (top) | О Офицер (Ofizer) | К Кон (Kon) | П Пешка (Peschka) |
| Danish | K conge | D Dronning | T Tårn | L Løber | S jumper | Bonde |
| German | K king | D lady | T tower | Runner | S jumper | Farmer |
| English & international notation |
K King King |
Q Queen Queen |
R rook phon. from "Ruch" (personal chariot ) |
B Bishop Bishop |
N Knight knight |
Pawn (originally) foot soldier |
| Esperanto | R Reĝo | D Damo | T Turo | K couriero | Ĉ Ĉevalo | Peono |
| Estonian | K Kuningas | L lip | V Vanker | O Oda | R Ratsu | Ettur |
| Finnish | K Kuningas | D Kuningatar or Daami | T Torni | L Lähetti | R Ratsu or Hevonen | Sotilas |
| French | R Roi King |
D lady lady |
T tour tower |
Fou fool |
C Cavalier rider |
Pion farmer |
| Greek | Ρ Βασιλιάς (Basilias) | Β Βασίλισσα (Basilissa) | Π Πύργος (Pyrgos) | Α Αξιωματικός (axiomatikos) | Ι Ίππος (Hippos) | Πιόνι (Pioni) |
| Croatian | K Kralj | D dama | T top | L Lovac | S Skakač | Pješak |
| Indonesian | R raja | M menteri | B benteng | G gaja | K kuda | pion |
| Icelandic | K Kóngur | D Drottning | H Hrókur | B biscup | R Riddari | Peð |
| Italian | R Re | D Donna or Regina | T Torre | A Alfiere standard bearer |
C Cavallo | Pedone foot soldier |
| Latvian | K Kungs | D Dama | T Tornis | L Laidnis | Z Zirgs | Bandinieks |
| Macedonian | K Крал | D Дама | T Топ | L Ловец | S Коњ | Пешак |
| Dutch | K Koning | D lady | T gates | L Loper | P pair | Pion |
| Norwegian | K conge | D Dronning | T Tårn | L Løper | S jumper | Bonde |
| Low German | K king | D daam | T toorn | L Löper | P peerd | Buer |
| Persian / فارسی | شاه (shāh) king |
وزیر (wazir) minister |
رخ (ruch) chariot |
فیل (fil) elephant |
اسب (asb) horse |
سرباز (sarbāz) soldier |
| Polish | K Król | H Hetman | W Wieża | G Goniec | S Skoczek | Pion |
| Portuguese | R Rei | D Dama or Rainha | T Torre | B Bispo | C Cavalo | Peão |
| Romanian | R Rege | D Damă or Regină | T turn | N Nebun | C Cal | Pion |
| Russian | Кр Король (Kr Korol ') king |
Ф Ферзь (F Fers') general |
Л Ладья (L Ladja) Kahn |
С Слон (S Slon) elephant |
К Конь (K Kon ') Ross |
Пешка (Peschka) foot soldier |
| Swedish | K Kung | D Dam or Drottning | T Torn | L Löpare | S Springare | Bonde |
| Serbian | Краљ (Kralj) | Краљица (Kraljica) | Топ (Top) | Ловац (Lovac) | Скакач (Skakač) | Пешак (Pešak) |
| Spanish | R Rey King |
D Dama lady |
T Torre tower |
A Alfil runner |
C Caballo horse |
Peón unskilled workers |
| Czech | K Král | D Dáma | V Věž tower |
S Střelec (bow) archer |
J Jezdec rider |
Pěšec |
| Turkish | S Şah Shah |
V Vezir Minister |
K Kale Castle |
F Fil elephant |
A at horse |
Piyon Bauer |
| Hungarian | K Király King |
V Vezér guide |
B Bástya bastion, tower |
F Futó runner |
H Huszár hussar |
Gyalog peasant, soldier, on foot |
