Chess is such a fascinating game. Particularly, at this moment for me, why the pieces move the ways they do given their names.
The Queen is the most powerful piece on the board, but worthless without the King.
Bishops move diagonally; Rooks side to side and front to back.
Knights move with a sneaky little side step, and are not blocked by pieces between them and their target. They can maneuver, sneak, and wiggle through other pieces (or simply jump over them) to get to their destination.
And Pawns become worthless if they have no support, yet can become extremely powerful near the end of the game. Which brings us to Pawn Structure. The Pawns need to support each other and the rest of the pieces in a solid, unified, and structured way. And the pieces need to support the Pawns.
Many Pawns in many games are never utilized. But the first move of almost every game is by a Pawn closest to either the King or Queen. In fact, Pawns and Knights are the only pieces that can move first. The other pieces must either wait for the Pawns to move or go around them.
Then there is Castling. Is that about some sort of disguise trickery played by a King and Rook to protect the King?
There must be a storied history around the development of this game, rife with politics. I wonder if there are any good books on the subject.
Chess Puzzle – white to move
Hint
Get two Knights for a Bishop