Chess
Piece Moves
King (K)—One square in any direction
Queen (Q)—Any number of squares in any direction
Rook (R)—Any number of squares horizontally or vertically
Bishop (B)—Any number of squares diagonally
Knight (N)—L-shape: 2+1 squares, jumps over pieces
Pawn—Forward 1 (or 2 from start); captures diagonally
Piece Values
Pawn = 1—Basic unit of value
Knight = 3—Minor piece
Bishop = 3—Minor piece (slightly > knight)
Rook = 5—Major piece
Queen = 9—Most powerful piece
King = ∞—Game ends if lost
Bishop Pair Bonus—Two bishops ≈ +0.5 over two knights
Rook + Pawn ≈ 2 Minors—Common material trade
Notation
K Q R B N—King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight
a-h (files), 1-8 (ranks)—Board coordinates; a1 = white's left corner
Nf3—Knight moves to f3
x = capture—Bxe5 = bishop captures on e5
+ = check—Qd7+ = queen checks from d7
# = checkmate—Qf7# = queen delivers mate on f7
O-O—Kingside castling (short)
O-O-O—Queenside castling (long)
= (promotion)—e8=Q = pawn promotes to queen
Opening Principles
Control the Center—Occupy/attack e4, d4, e5, d5
Develop Pieces Early—Knights and bishops before queen
Castle Early—Protect king, connect rooks
Don't Move Same Piece Twice—Unless forced or gaining material
Don't Bring Queen Out Early—Vulnerable to tempo-gaining attacks
Connect Your Rooks—Clear back rank so rooks defend each other
Fight for Open Files—Rooks are strongest on open columns
Common Openings
Italian Game—1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4; targets f7
Ruy Lopez—1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5; pressure on e5
Sicilian Defense—1.e4 c5; asymmetric, sharp play for black
French Defense—1.e4 e6; solid but can be cramped
Queen's Gambit—1.d4 d5 2.c4; white offers pawn for center
King's Indian—1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6; hypermodern for black
London System—1.d4 2.Bf4; solid, easy to learn for white
Caro-Kann—1.e4 c6; solid defense, supports d5
Tactics
Fork—One piece attacks two+ pieces simultaneously
Pin—Piece can't move without exposing higher value piece
Skewer—Attack through a valuable piece to one behind
Discovered Attack—Moving one piece reveals attack by another
Double Check—Two pieces give check; king must move
Deflection—Force defender away from its duty
Decoy—Lure a piece to a bad square
Back Rank Mate—Rook/queen mates king trapped by own pawns
Endgame Basics
K+Q vs K—Force king to edge then mate; always wins
K+R vs K—Box technique; push king to edge, mate
K+2B vs K—Drive king to corner; bishops work together
K+B+N vs K—Hardest basic mate; force to correct corner
Pawn Promotion—Advance passed pawn to 8th rank for queen
Opposition—Kings face off; controls key squares
Lucena Position—R+P vs R; building a bridge to promote
Philidor Position—R+P vs R; defensive drawing technique
Special Rules
Castling—King moves 2 squares toward rook; rook jumps over
Castling Requirements—Neither piece moved, no check, no squares attacked
En Passant—Pawn captures pawn that just moved 2 squares
Promotion—Pawn reaching 8th rank becomes Q, R, B, or N
Stalemate = Draw—No legal moves but not in check
50-Move Rule—Draw if 50 moves with no capture or pawn move
Threefold Repetition—Draw if same position occurs 3 times
Insufficient Material—K vs K, K+B vs K, K+N vs K are draws
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