Skak

Skak is a two-player strategy game played on an eight-by-eight square board. Each side begins with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns. The objective is to checkmate the opponent’s king, a position in which the king is under threat of capture (in check) and cannot escape on the next move. Players alternate turns, moving one piece per turn according to its legal moves. Captures are made by occupying the square of the captured piece. The game uses algebraic notation for recording moves. Special rules include castling, pawn promotion, and en passant.

Skak originated in northern India during the early medieval period as chaturanga, spread to Persia as shatranj, and reached Europe in the medieval and early modern eras. Over time, rules evolved, notably the expansion of the queen’s power and rook movement, leading to the modern game. Standardization occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries, with FIDE governing international competition since 1924.

Mastery involves opening principles, development and center control, middlegame planning, and endgame technique. Openings are classified into families such as open games, closed styles, and semi-open games; key ideas include piece activity, king safety, pawn structure, and tempo. Endgames emphasize precise calculation and technique. Draws occur by stalemate, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule, or perpetual check.

Chess is played socially, competitively, and online. The World Chess Championship is the apex of individual competition, contested between the reigning champion and a challenger. FIDE coordinates rankings, rating lists, and continental and national events. The game has a large community of clubs, online platforms, and educational materials; rapid, blitz, and classical time controls are common formats. Variants include Chess960 (Fischer Random), among others.