Semi-Infinite Positions On A Finite Landscape

While the combination of moves and tactics in the game of chess seem infinite, the battlefield upon which the war is waged is finite in it's size and scope. The board, as it is known, consists of 64 alternating light and dark squares. This means there are 32 light squares and 32 dark squares. While this checker board battlefield seems to have identical corners, a closer inspection reveals that it doesn't. This being the case, what corner goes where? It's simple. Just make sure the bottom right hand square is light in color and you'll not go wrong!

If you've ever glanced at a chess game, either in the newspaper or in a text on the subject, you'll notice a strange language that depicts the individual piece's moves across the checkered landscape. This is the language of Algebraic Notation. This is a simplified language that allows us to neatly identify each square on the chess board and each move across it's flat landscape. We'll discuss the mechanisms of Algebraic Notation later on in another blog so we can keep this simple. For now, know that each of the 64 squares has an individual identifier that gives it a position similar to the use of latitude and longitude to mark the position of a place on the globe.

It's amazing that you could have such a complex game taking place on a board with such a limited number locations or squares, produce such a volume of writings dedicated to it and within these writings, have such a seemingly endless variety of possible moves. We can see how this almost endless library of moves comes about if we do some simple arithmetic.

When the game starts, you have 32 pieces total (16 white and 16 black), placed in starting positions on a board divided into 64 squares. On each side you have 16 pieces. On the first horizontal row, called a rank (there are eight of them) you have two, rooks, two knights, two bishops, a queen, and the king. On the second row, you have eight pawns. We'll discuss movement and individual placement later on in this series of blogs.

In the opening move (your first move for both white and black) movement is restricted to the pawns and knights only. On it's first move, the pawn can move either one or two squares forward. The knight, which has a very special way of moving (discussed later), can move to one of two squares. The knight is unique in that it can jump over friendly or enemy pieces, either landing on an unoccupied square or landing on an enemy piece capturing that piece. We'll dedicate an entire blog to the knight and the unusual moves the knight can make.

When you do the math, you'll see that the pawns can move to one of sixteen possible squares, while the knights can move to one of four possible squares. This means white can move to one of twenty possible squares as can black. This means that the total combination of overall moves is 20 X 20 = 400. Four hundred possible outcomes just for the first move.

Now you can see why there is such a vast number of combinations of moves to be explored and studied. Imagine how big the numbers get when you reach the ninth or tenth move? This is why there are a near infinite number of possible positions on the finite landscape of the chess board. This is also why the game of chess will never be boring!