rules of chess

The rook may not be the most powerful piece on the board - that one is the queen - but it's definitely a useful piece to use in both offensive and defensive strategies. The rules of chess require that the rook moves in a straight path in all four directions - forward, backward, and sidewards. It takes on as many squares as the nearest piece it takes; it then replaces the taken piece. And there's one particularly useful defensive strategy favored by chess masters that involves the rook - castling. Chess guide books like 'Chess Success Secrets' written by James Wilson say castling as early in the game as possible helps a chess master win the game. He actually suggests doing it in as few as ten moves to make winning almost a certainty. If you're just beginning to play chess, you will surely be rearing to find how to castle and when. First, you need your king and a rook - either rook will do - to stay put in their original squares. Second, the path between the king and the rook castling should be clear; there shouldn't be any piece along that line. Third, the king should move two squares to ward the rook. Finally, the rook must take the square between the king's new and original position. The opportunity to castle depends on how the game progresses. But if you want to dominate the boards, you must take control of the game and dictate the pace to castle quickly. The rules of chess are not so difficult to learn; the bigger challenge lies in using them to advance your pieces. When is castling appropriate? That's something you have to decide on your own. As you practice your skills, you'll recognize opportunities to use this defensive maneuver to steal the game from your opponent. Pat Womack is not Sicilian. Nevertheless, he mastered the Sicilian Defense long before he mastered how to ask for a raise. He runs the website ChessTipsForYou.Com as a resource center for those who want to play chess games. Check out his blog and get the skinny on this game of strategy! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pat_Womack