The game of chess is played on a board of 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. The board is divided into two equal halves by a horizontal line called the "equator". There are 16 pieces in total, divided into two armies: white and black. Each army has 8 pawns, 2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops, a queen, and a king. The game is played between two opponents, white and black, who take turns moving one of their pieces. The goal of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king, that is, to put it into a position where it cannot move without being captured by one of your pieces.
The pawn is the weakest piece in chess, and can only move one square at a time, forward. It can move two squares on its first move, but only if it has not moved before. Pawns can only capture pieces that are one square diagonally in front of them. They cannot move backwards. If a pawn reaches the other side of the board, it can be "promoted" to any other piece (except a king).