In a game of chess, each player starts with 16 pieces. The 16 pieces in chess are:
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8 Pawns: The most basic pieces in chess, representing the soldiers of the army. Pawns can only move forward one square at a time, but on their first move, they have the option to move two squares forward.
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2 Rooks: Also known as castles, rooks can move any number of squares horizontally or vertically.
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2 Knights: Knights move in an L-shape, two squares in a straight direction, and then one square perpendicular to that. Knights are the only pieces that can jump over other pieces.
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2 Bishops: Bishops can move any number of squares diagonally. Each player has one bishop that starts on a light-colored square and one that starts on a dark-colored square.
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1 Queen: The most powerful piece in chess, the queen can move any number of squares diagonally, horizontally, or vertically.
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1 King: The king is the most important piece in chess. It can move one square in any direction. The game is won by checkmating the opponents king, which means putting the king in a position where it is under attack and cannot escape capture.
