Chess is a two-player strategy board game that requires skill, strategy, and critical thinking. The game is played on a square board with 64 squares, alternating between light and dark colors. Each player starts with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. The objective is to checkmate the opponent's king, which means the king is in a position to be captured (in 'check'), and there is no way to move the king out of capture (mate). In this article, we'll cover the basics of chess, including how to set up the board, the movements of each piece, and some basic strategies to improve your gameplay.