How to Set Up a Chess Board: Chess Setup Guide (Free)
Chess setup in six steps: light square on the right, rooks in the corners, then knights, bishops, queen on her colour, king beside her, pawns. Play free chess.
Published · 4 min read
To set up a chess board, turn it so each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner. Put the rooks in the corners, the knights next to them, then the bishops. The queen goes on the remaining square of her own colour (white queen on a light square, black queen on a dark one), and the king takes the last square beside her. Fill the second row with eight pawns. Our free chess game sets the board up for you, with the coordinates printed on the edges so you can check.
What's in the box
A chess set has 32 pieces, 16 for each side:
| Piece | How many per side |
|---|---|
| King | 1 |
| Queen | 1 |
| Rook | 2 |
| Bishop | 2 |
| Knight | 2 |
| Pawn | 8 |
The board has 64 squares in an 8 × 8 grid, alternating light and dark. Even when a board's colours are green and cream, or blue and yellow as on ours, the darker one counts as "dark".
Step 1: Turn the board the right way
The single most common setup mistake is having the board sideways. The rule is "light on the right": each player should have a light square in their bottom-right corner.
If your board has letters and numbers printed on the edge, White sits on the side with the 1s and 2s, and the letters a to h run from White's left to right.
Step 2: Rooks in the corners
Put the two rooks (they look like castle towers) on the four corner squares: White's on a1 and h1, Black's on a8 and h8.
Step 3: Knights next to the rooks
The knights (horses) go right next to the rooks, on b1 and g1 for White and b8 and g8 for Black. Face them forward if you like; it doesn't matter to the rules, but it looks tidy.
Step 4: Bishops next to the knights
The bishops go next to the knights: c1 and f1 for White, c8 and f8 for Black. You'll notice that one bishop is on a light square and one on a dark square. That stays true for the whole game, because bishops only move diagonally.
Step 5: Queen on her own colour, king beside her
Two squares are left in the back row, d and e. The rule people remember is "queen on her own colour":
- The white queen goes on the light square, d1.
- The black queen goes on the dark square, d8.
- Each king takes the last square, e1 and e8.
When you're done, the two queens face each other across the board on the d-file, and so do the two kings on the e-file. If your queens are diagonal to each other, you've swapped a king and queen on one side.
Step 6: A row of pawns
Put White's eight pawns on the second row (a2 to h2) and Black's on the seventh (a7 to h7). That's the whole setup.
The finished position
Reading White's back row from left to right: rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook. Black's is the mirror image, so the same piece types face each other on every file.
| File | a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row 8 (Black) | Rook | Knight | Bishop | Queen | King | Bishop | Knight | Rook |
| Row 7 | Pawn | Pawn | Pawn | Pawn | Pawn | Pawn | Pawn | Pawn |
| Row 2 | Pawn | Pawn | Pawn | Pawn | Pawn | Pawn | Pawn | Pawn |
| Row 1 (White) | Rook | Knight | Bishop | Queen | King | Bishop | Knight | Rook |
Three quick checks before you start
- Light square in the bottom-right? If not, rotate the board a quarter turn and set it up again.
- Queens on the same file? Both should be on d.
- White moves first. Whoever has the white pieces makes the first move.
Setting up for a friend or a child
When teaching someone, set up one piece type at a time and say why it goes there: rooks guard the corners, knights jump out from beside them, and the queen "likes her own colour". Children often enjoy setting up the board more than the first few games. For a full teaching plan, see teaching chess to kids.
How our online board shows it
In the free chess game everything is placed for you, but it's a good way to check a physical set:
- The numbers 1 to 8 run down the left edge and the letters a to h along the bottom, so you can read any square's name.
- White is at the bottom by default. If you choose to play Black against the computer, the board turns so your pieces are at the bottom, and h8 is in your bottom-left corner.
- In Two players mode, Flip board turns it round so the other player sees it from their side.
Once the pieces are on the board, how chess pieces move explains what each one does, and how to castle covers the one move that uses the king and rook together.
Play your first game
Open the free chess game, compare it with your physical board, then play a game on Easy. There's no sign-up, and you can undo moves while you learn.
Frequently asked questions
- Which way does a chess board go?
- Each player should have a light square in the bottom-right corner. If you have a dark square there, the board is sideways.
- Where does the queen go in chess?
- On the d-file, on her own colour: the white queen on the light square d1, the black queen on the dark square d8.
- Does the king go on the left or right of the queen?
- From White's side, the king is to the right of the queen, on e1. From Black's side, it's to the left, on e8, so the kings face each other.
- Who moves first in chess?
- White always moves first.
- What if I set up the king and queen the wrong way round?
- The game becomes a mirror image, and castling and many openings won't work as expected. Restart with the queen on her own colour.
Games
Try Chess
Free, no sign-up, works in your browser. Play chess online against the computer at three levels, or against a friend on the same device.