Opponents have sets of figures in different colours. Each set includes sixteen figures: a king, a queen two bishops, two knights, two rooks and eight pawns.The value of the figures can be absolute or relative. If we assume that the absolute value is 1, the relative values of the figures are most often: queen – 9 points; rook – 5 points; bishop – 3 points; knight – 3 points.

The game always starts with the white pieces, and the players take turns. If a piece enters an occupied square, according to the rules of movement for that piece, it captures the opponent’s piece. The “check” is a threat to capture the king, which must be averted in the next move (the king cannot be captured). “Checkmate” occurs when the opponent’s king is in check and there’s no legal way to get it out of check.