Chess board setup chart

The order that works with young children

Don't start in a corner and work across. Start in the middle and work outward, because the pattern is a mirror.

1. 1. Pawns first. All eight, straight across the second row. It's the easiest row and it fills half the job immediately.
2. 2. The royal couple next. Queen and king side by side in the middle. The queen goes on her own colour — a white queen on a light square, a black queen on a dark square. Children remember this one because it rhymes with something they already understand about matching.
3. 3. Then mirror outward. Bishop, knight, rook on one side. Bishop, knight, rook on the other. Same order both ways.

That's the whole board. The back row is symmetrical, and once a child sees that, they don't need to memorise eight positions — they need to memorise three, twice.

Is the board the right way round?

Light square on your near right. If your board has letters and numbers, a1 is a dark square in White's near-left corner.

Next

• Piece name flashcards — for the naming stage that comes before setup.
• How to set up a chess board — the full guide
• Which side does the queen go on?