To set up a chessboard correctly, turn the board so each player has a light square in the bottom right corner, put the rooks in the corners, then knights, bishops, queen and king in that order, and fill the second row with pawns. The white queen goes on a light square and the black queen on a dark square. White always moves first.
Step by Step
- Orient the board. Sit so that the square in your right-hand corner is light. Remember it as “light on the right”. Your opponent sees the same from the other side.
- Place the pawns. Fill the entire second row from your side with eight pawns, one on each square.
- Place the rooks. Put one in each corner of your back row.
- Place the knights. They go next to the rooks, on the second square from each corner.
- Place the bishops. They sit beside the knights, on the third square from each corner.
- Place the queen. She goes on the remaining square that matches her own colour. White queen on light, black queen on dark. A common saying is “the queen goes on her own colour”.
- Place the king. He takes the last square, next to the queen.
- Check the other side. The black pieces mirror the white ones, so the two queens face each other and so do the two kings.
Handy Memory Tricks
- Light on the right is the rule for the board.
- Queens go on their own colour.
- The back row reads rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook.
Common Mistakes
The most frequent errors are turning the board the wrong way, swapping the king and queen, and putting the queen on the wrong colour. If the two queens do not face each other across the board, something is off. Check the corners first, then the centre.
Another small point is that the files are lettered from a to h, running from White’s left, and the ranks are numbered from 1 to 8. Setting the board correctly means this labelling makes sense when you use notation.
If you teach someone else, let them do the set-up themselves while you watch. Doing it by hand fixes the pattern in memory far better than looking at a diagram, and you can gently point out any piece that is out of place.
Piece Counts
| Piece | Per side |
|---|---|
| King | 1 |
| Queen | 1 |
| Rook | 2 |
| Bishop | 2 |
| Knight | 2 |
| Pawn | 8 |
FAQ
Does it matter which player has white?
White moves first, so players often decide by chance, such as a pawn hidden in a hand. In friendly games, swap colours in the next game.
What if my board has no square colours I can use?
Use the labelled edge or coordinates if there are any. Otherwise check that the near right corner is light before you place a piece.
The Short Version
Light square on the right, rooks in corners, then knights, bishops, queen on her own colour and the king beside her. Fill the pawn row and check that the two sides mirror each other.
