About chess

Chess (the "Game of Kings") is a board game for two players, which requires 32 chesspieces (or chessmen) and a board demarcated by 64 squares. Gameplay does not involve random luck; consisting solely of strategy, (see also tactics, and theory). Chess is one of humanity's more popular games; it is has been described not only as a game, but also as both art and science. Chess is sometimes seen as an abstract wargame; as a "mental martial art".

The number of legal positions in chess is estimated to be between 10⁴³ and 10⁵⁰, and the game-tree complexity approximately 10¹²³, while there are 0 (=(stale)mate) to 218 possibilities per move. Chess is played both recreationally and competitively in clubs, tournaments, on-line, and by mail (correspondence chess).

Many variants and relatives of chess are played throughout the world; amongst them, the most popular are Xiangqi (China), Buddhi Chal (Nepal) and Shogi (Japan), all of which come from the same historical stem as chess.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Playing Chess Game.