Setting up a chess board takes about a minute once you know two simple rhymes. Turn the board so you have a light square in your right hand corner, put the rooks in the corners, then the knights and bishops, the queen on her own colour, the king beside her, and the pawns in front. Here it is step by step, with a picture of the finished board and the mistakes almost everyone makes the first time.
Light on the right: each player has a light square in their bottom right corner.
Back row, from the corners in: rook, knight, bishop, then queen on her colour and king. Pawns fill the row in front. White moves first.
The starting position. White at the bottom, light square in each player's right hand corner.
Step 1: Turn the Board the Right Way
Sit facing your opponent and look at the corner square on your right. It must be a light square. Remember it as "light on the right". If it is dark, turn the board a quarter turn. Getting this wrong is the number one setup mistake, and it puts the king and queen on the wrong squares later.
Both players get a light square in their own right hand corner. On a board with letters and numbers, that is h1 for White and a8 for Black.
Step 2: Rooks in the Corners
Put your two rooks, the pieces shaped like castle towers, on the two corner squares of the row closest to you.
Step 3: Knights Next to the Rooks
The knights, shaped like horse heads, go right next to the rooks, one on each side. Point the horses forward if you like, it looks neater.
Step 4: Bishops Next to the Knights
The bishops, the tall pieces with a pointed top and a little cut, go next to the knights. Now there are two empty squares left in the middle of your back row.
Step 5: Queen on Her Colour, Then the King
The queen goes on the middle square that matches her colour: the white queen on the light square, the black queen on the dark square. Say it as "queen on her colour". The king, the tallest piece with a cross on top, takes the last empty square.
When both sides are done, the two queens face each other across the board, and so do the two kings.
Step 6: Pawns on the Second Row
Put all eight pawns on the row directly in front of your other pieces. That is the whole setup. White always moves first.
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Start a free eventThe Setup at a Glance
| Piece | How Many | White Starts On | Black Starts On |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rook | 2 | a1 and h1 | a8 and h8 |
| Knight | 2 | b1 and g1 | b8 and g8 |
| Bishop | 2 | c1 and f1 | c8 and f8 |
| Queen | 1 | d1 (light square) | d8 (dark square) |
| King | 1 | e1 | e8 |
| Pawn | 8 | a2 to h2 | a7 to h7 |
Those letters and numbers are the square names used in chess notation. If you want to read and write moves, see chess notation explained.
Common Setup Mistakes
- The board is turned the wrong way. Check for a light square on your right.
- King and queen swapped. The queen must sit on her own colour.
- Knights and bishops swapped. Knights go next to the rooks, bishops next to the knights.
- Black moves first. White always starts the game.
Teaching Kids to Set Up the Board
Children pick this up fast if you make it a race. Let them set up one side while you set up the other, then swap and check each other's board using the two rhymes. Once setup is easy, the next step is learning the moves: the free chess pieces cheat sheet prints every move on one page.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you set up a chess board?
Turn the board so each player has a light square in the bottom right corner. Put rooks in the corners, knights next to them, then bishops. The queen goes on the square of her own colour and the king on the last square. All eight pawns go on the row in front.
Which way does a chess board go?
Each player should have a light square in their bottom right corner. The easy rhyme is "light on the right". If a dark square is on your right, turn the board a quarter turn.
Where does the queen go in chess?
The queen goes on her own colour: the white queen on the light square d1, the black queen on the dark square d8. The two queens face each other across the board.
Where does the king go in chess?
The king goes on the e-file, next to the queen: the white king on e1 and the black king on e8. The two kings face each other.
Who moves first in chess?
White always moves first. In a tournament the pairing decides who has White. In a casual game, one player hides a pawn of each colour in their fists and the other picks a hand.
What is the most common chess setup mistake?
Turning the board the wrong way, so a dark square is in the right hand corner. The second most common is swapping the king and queen. Check "light on the right" and "queen on her colour" and you will avoid both.
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