Wooden Pieces

Chess pieces vary in both value and abilities. A standard chess match consists of each player having the following equipment: more...

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1 King; 1 Queen; 2 Rooks; 2 Bishops; 2 Knights; 8 Pawns;

One side is referred to as "white" and the other as "black". To distinguish between the two, the black pieces are darker than the white pieces. Besides these standard pieces, there exists many chess variants or certain kinds of chess problems that call for non-standard, fairy pieces.

Movement of the pieces

Main article: Rules of chess;

Each piece moves in a different pattern.

The rook moves any number of vacant squares along rows or columns (forward, backward, left or right). It also is involved when castling.; The bishop moves any number of vacant squares diagonally. Consequently a bishop stays on squares of the same color throughout a game.; The queen moves any number of vacant squares in any direction along a row, column, or diagonal.; The king moves only one vacant square in any direction. It can also castle in conjunction with a rook.; The knight moves to a vacant square in an "L"-shape (two spaces forward, backward, left, or right and one space perpendicular to it). The knight can jump over other pieces when moving.; The pawn can only move forward one space, or optionally two spaces when on its starting square, in a straight line away from the player. When there is an enemy piece one square diagonally from the pawn (either left or right), then the pawn may capture that piece. A pawn can perform a special type of capture of an enemy pawn called en passant.;

Pieces capture opposing pieces by replacing them on their square, except for an en passant capture. Only one piece may occupy a given square. Except for castling and the movement of the knight, a piece may not move over another piece.

Chess sets

The variation of designs available is broad, from small cosmetic changes (such as Rainbow Chess) to highly abstract representations to themed designs such as those which emulate the drawings from the works of Lewis Carroll or modern treatments such as Star Trek or The Simpsons. Themed designs are usually intended for display rather than for actual play.

Chess pieces used for play are usually figurines that are taller than they are wide. For example, a set of pieces designed for a chessboard with 2¼ inch (57 mm) squares will typically have a king around 3¾ inches (95 mm) tall. They are available in a variety of designs, with the most well-known Staunton design which is named after Howard Staunton (a 19th century English chess player), which was designed by Nathaniel Cook. The first Staunton style sets were made in 1849 by Jaques of London (also known as John Jaques of London and Jaques and Son of London).

Read more at Wikipedia.org