How to Set Up a Chess Board Correctly
Set up a chess board takes about a minute once you know the pattern. Get it right and every game starts fairly. Get it wrong, and moves like castling won’t work properly. This guide shows you exactly where every piece goes, with two memory tricks so you never forget.
Once your board is ready, learn how each chess piece moves.
What you need to set up chess pieces on a board
A chess board has 64 squares, 32 light and 32 dark, in an 8 by 8 grid. Each player starts with 16 pieces:
- 8 pawns
- 2 rooks
- 2 knights
- 2 bishops
- 1 queen
- 1 king
That makes 32 pieces in total. One player uses the light pieces (White) and the other uses the dark pieces (Black).
Step 1: Turn the board the right way
Sit with the board between you and your opponent, and turn it so that each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner. The easy way to remember this is:
“Light on the right.”
This is the most common setup mistake. If your bottom-right corner is a dark square, turn the board 90 degrees.
Step 2: Place the pawns
Put all eight pawns on the row directly in front of you, which is the second row from your edge of the board. White’s pawns go on the second row (rank 2) and Black’s pawns go on the seventh row (rank 7), so each side has a full wall of pawns.
Step 3: Put the rooks in the corners
Place one rook in each of the two corners on your back row. The rook is the piece shaped like a castle tower, and some beginners call it a castle.
Step 4: Add the knights next to the rooks
Place the knights on the squares right next to the rooks. The knight is the piece shaped like a horse’s head.
Step 5: Add the bishops next to the knights
Place the bishops on the squares next to the knights. The bishop has a pointed top with a slit in it. After this step, two squares are left in the middle of the back row: one for the queen and one for the king.
Step 6: Put the queen on her own color
The queen goes on the square of her own color. The white queen goes on the light square and the black queen goes on the dark square. The easy way to remember it is:
“Queen on her color.”
So the white queen is on d1, and the black queen is on d8.
Step 7: Put the king on the last square
The king takes the one remaining square on the back row, next to the queen. The white king is on e1 and the black king is on e8. The king is the tallest piece, with a small cross on top.
Step 8: Check the mirror
Look across the board. Each of your pieces should face the same type of piece on your opponent’s side: rook faces rook, queen faces queen, and king faces king. If White’s queen faces Black’s king, one side has the king and queen swapped.
Where every piece goes: quick reference
| Piece | White starts on | Black starts on |
|---|---|---|
| King | e1 | e8 |
| Queen | d1 | d8 |
| Rooks | a1 and h1 | a8 and h8 |
| Bishops | c1 and f1 | c8 and f8 |
| Knights | b1 and g1 | b8 and g8 |
| Pawns | a2 to h2 | a7 to h7 |
The letters (a to h) are the columns, called files, and run from left to right from White’s side. The numbers (1 to 8) are the rows, called ranks. You’ll use these squares when you read chess notation.
The back row in one line
From left to right on White’s side, the order is:
Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, Rook
Black’s back row is the same, mirrored on the other side of the board.
Common setup mistakes
- A dark square in the bottom-right corner. Turn the board. Remember: light on the right.
- King and queen swapped. Check that the queen is on her own color.
- Bishops and knights swapped. The knights go next to the rooks and the bishops go next to the king and queen.
- Pawns on the wrong row. They go on the second row from your edge of the board, not the first.
- Sitting on the wrong side. White always starts on ranks 1 and 2, closest to the player with the light pieces.
Frequently asked questions
Which color moves first in chess? White always moves first.
Which side does the queen go on? The queen goes on the square of her own color, which is d1 for White and d8 for Black. She sits next to the king, on the left of White’s back row.
How many pieces are on a chess board at the start? 32 pieces: 16 for each player.
Why does the board need to be turned a certain way? The board must be set so each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner. If it’s turned the wrong way, the queens and kings end up on the wrong colors and castling no longer works as it should.
What to learn next
Now that the board is ready, you can learn how each piece moves, then read the basic rules every beginner should know and find out what each piece is worth.