I suppose one of the first questions the absolute beginner would ask is, “which piece is the castle?” And “which is the King and which the Queen?”

I’ll answer all those questions in this article.

So first things first. There is no “castle.” There is a move called “castling” (see my video about how to castle) but the piece that is often incorrectly referred to as the “castle,” is actually the “Rook.” But the Rook does actually resemble the tower of a castle.

The Knight is usually fairly obvious, nearly always incorporating some representation of a horse.

The King and the Queen might be a bit tricky. One sure sign that the piece is the King is that it’s the tallest piece on the board. The King also usually has a cross on the top of his head, and the Queen wears a crown that looks more like a tiara or coronet.

The Bishop wears a hat with a distinct slash. I think this is supposed to remind us of the cleric’s mitre

The Pawn is the smallest of the chess pieces, and normally has a simple round head.

What kind of chess pieces should I buy?

For the beginning player, a sturdy inexpensive set that isn’t eccentric (no Civil War sets yet, please!). A good choice is the simple plastic pieces that come with a vinyl roll-up board. These pieces will last for years, and can be used for casual play, club play, or even tournament play.

Generally, the King should be between 3-¼ and 4 inches tall. The Kings in some sets will be slightly bigger, but a 5-inch King is not acceptable for tournament play. The sets that have 2-½-inch kings are too small for tournaments.

For a tournament set, the pieces should be of the standard “Staunton” form. Other sets can be difficult to distinguish one piece from another. Collecting chess sets can be fun, but you should prefer the standard to the off-beat when buying a set for serious play or study. The “cartoon character” set might be fine for your family room, but it’s not right for the chess club or tournament setting.

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