Chessy
How Do You Set Up a Chessboard?
Place the board so each player has a light square in the bottom-right, put pawns on the second rank, rooks in the corners, then knights, bishops, and finally the queen on her own color with the king beside her.
Orient the board correctly
Before placing a single piece, check the board itself: each player should have a light-colored square in their bottom-right corner. Getting this backward is the single most common setup mistake, and it flips the queen and king positions along with it.
Place the pawns and back-rank pieces
Fill the entire second rank with 8 pawns for each side. On the first rank, put rooks in the two corners, then knights next to the rooks, then bishops next to the knights. That leaves the two central squares for the queen and king.
Queen on her color
The easiest way to remember the final two pieces: the queen goes on her own color — the white queen on a light square, the black queen on a dark square. The king takes the remaining central square beside her.
Frequently asked questions
How do you set up a chessboard?
Orient the board with a light square in each player's bottom-right corner, place 8 pawns on the second rank, then rooks in the corners, knights next, bishops next, and the queen and king on the two central squares.
Which corner should be a light square?
The bottom-right corner from each player's perspective should be light-colored.
How do I remember where the queen goes?
The queen always starts on a square matching her own color — white queen on light, black queen on dark.
What's the most common chessboard setup mistake?
Orienting the board with a dark square in the bottom-right corner, which throws off the queen and king placement.