Let's Play Snake & Ladders
1. Setup
Board Orientation: Place the board so that each player has a white square on their right.
Piece Arrangement:
1st Rank: Rooks on corners, knights next to them, then bishops, queen on her color (white queen on white square, black queen on black square), and king next to the queen.
2nd Rank: Place all pawns in the second row.
2. Objective
The goal is to checkmate your opponent's king. This means putting the king in a position to be captured (in "check") where there are no legal moves to escape.
3. Movement of Pieces
Pawn: Moves forward one square, captures diagonally. On its first move, a pawn can move forward two squares.
Rook: Moves horizontally or vertically any number of squares.
Knight: Moves in an "L" shape: two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicular. Knights can jump over other pieces.
Bishop: Moves diagonally any number of squares.
Queen: Moves horizontally, vertically, or diagonally any number of squares.
King: Moves one square in any direction. The king cannot move into check.
4. Special Moves
Castling: A move involving the king and a rook:
Conditions: Neither piece has moved, no pieces between them, and the king is not in check, passing through check, or moving into check.
The king moves two squares towards the rook, and the rook moves to the square next to the king.
En Passant: A special pawn capture:
If a pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position and lands beside an opponent's pawn, the opponent can capture it as if it had only moved one square forward.
Promotion: When a pawn reaches the opponent's back rank, it can be promoted to any piece (usually a queen).
5. Taking Turns
Players alternate turns, with White going first. Players must make a legal move on their turn.
6. Check and Checkmate
Check: When the king is under threat of capture. The player must move out of check on their next turn.
Checkmate: When the king is in check and cannot move to a safe square. The game ends.
7. Stalemate
A position where one player has no legal moves and their king is not in check. This results in a draw.
8. Draw Conditions
Other than stalemate, a draw can occur through:
Insufficient material: Not enough pieces to force checkmate.
Threefold repetition: The same position occurs three times with the same player to move.
Fifty-move rule: If 50 moves occur without a pawn move or piece capture.
9. Ending the Game
The game ends with checkmate, stalemate, or mutual agreement between players.
10. Etiquette
Be respectful and sportsmanlike. Shake hands before and after the game!