Our chess garden game is a 10-foot chessboard with giant chess pieces. An impressive looking game to say the least. To make it nice and easy, we will deliver, set up and collect to/from your venue at a time to suit you.
Rules of Chess
How to Play Chess: A Beginner’s Guide
Chess is a two-player strategy game played on an 8×8 board. Each player commands 16 pieces, and the goal is simple to state, if not always simple to achieve: trap your opponent’s king so it can’t escape capture. This is called checkmate.
This guide covers everything you need to play a casual, friendly game — the official movement rules, the special moves that trip up beginners, and how a game ends.
Setting Up the Board
The board has 64 squares in alternating light and dark colours. Position it so each player has a light-coloured square in their near-right corner.
Each side starts with:
- 1 King
- 1 Queen
- 2 Rooks
- 2 Bishops
- 2 Knights
- 8 Pawns
Place the back row from left to right: Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, Rook. A handy rule of thumb is “queen on her own colour” — the white queen starts on a light square, the black queen on a dark square. Pawns fill the entire row directly in front of the back row.
White always moves first, and players then alternate turns. There’s no skipping a turn, even if every move looks bad.
How the Pieces Move
- King — one square in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally).
- Rook — any number of open squares in a straight line, horizontally or vertically.
- Bishop — any number of open squares diagonally. Because of this, each bishop is stuck on one colour of square for the whole game.
- Queen — combines the rook and bishop: any number of open squares in any straight or diagonal direction. It’s the most powerful piece on the board.
- Knight — moves in an “L” shape: two squares in one direction, then one square at a right angle to that. Uniquely, the knight can hop over other pieces on its way.
- Pawn — moves straight ahead one square, or two squares on its very first move. It’s the only piece that captures differently from how it moves: pawns capture one square diagonally forward, never straight ahead.
Except for the knight, no piece can jump over another. Landing on a square occupied by an enemy piece captures it and removes it from the board.
Three Special Moves
Castling. Once per game, a king and one of its own rooks can move together: the king slides two squares toward the rook, and the rook hops to the square right beside the king on the other side. This is only legal if neither piece has moved yet, there’s nothing between them, and the king isn’t currently in check, doesn’t pass through an attacked square, and doesn’t land on one.
En passant (“in passing”). If an enemy pawn uses its two-square opening move to land right beside one of your pawns, you can capture it as though it had only moved one square — but only on your very next move, or the chance is gone.
Promotion. If a pawn fights its way all the way to the far end of the board (the 8th rank for White, the 1st for Black), it’s upgraded on the spot to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight — the player’s choice, regardless of what’s already been captured. Most players promote to a queen.
Check and Checkmate
A king is in check when an enemy piece could capture it on the next move. A player in check must immediately get out of it, either by:
- Moving the king to a safe square,
- Capturing the attacking piece, or
- Blocking the attack with another piece (only works against rooks, bishops, and queens, since they attack along a line).
It’s illegal to make any move that leaves your own king in check.
If a player is in check and has no way to escape it, that’s checkmate — the game ends immediately and that player loses. The king itself is never actually captured.
A player can also simply resign at any point, conceding the game.
How Games End in a Draw
Not every game ends decisively. A draw can happen in a few ways:
- Stalemate — the player to move isn’t in check, but has no legal move available at all. This is a draw, not a win, which surprises a lot of new players.
- Agreement — both players agree to call it a draw.
- Dead position — so few pieces remain that neither side could possibly deliver checkmate (for example, king vs. king alone).
- Threefold repetition — the exact same position occurs three times during the game.
- Fifty-move rule — fifty moves in a row pass with no pawn move and no capture by either player.
A Couple of Friendly Ground Rules
- Touch it, move it. In more formal play, if you touch one of your own pieces you’re obliged to move it if you legally can. Casual games often relax this, but it’s worth agreeing on before you start.
- One hand. Make your move with a single hand rather than repositioning pieces mid-move.
That’s genuinely all you need to sit down and play a full, legal game of chess. Everything beyond this — tournament time controls, official notation, arbiter procedures — only matters once you’re playing competitively.
Giant Chess Hire FAQs
Is Giant Chess suitable for indoor and outdoor use?
Giant Chess works indoors or outdoors on most surfaces. For outdoor Scottish events we recommend a covered backup area in case of weather.
What events is Giant Chess hire popular for?
Giant Chess is a great choice for wedding drinks receptions, garden parties, corporate events, and family celebrations. No experience is needed — guests get involved straight away.
What areas of Scotland do you cover for Giant Chess hire?
We deliver across Central Scotland — Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Fife, the Lothians, Stirling and the Scottish Borders. Get in touch to confirm availability for your date and venue.
Can Giant Chess be combined with DJ or other entertainment?
Yes — games and DJ services are frequently booked together. See our full giant games range or get in touch for a combined quote.
