Page:The chess-player's text book.djvu/19

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TEXT BOOK.

7

the K. R.'s square. Here the square on which the King's Rook stands at starting takes the name of the Officer, and is known as the K. R.'s square.^[1] The next square forward on the same file is called, the K.'s R.'s 2nd, the next to that the K.'s R.'s 3rd, and so on up to the 8th square.

As the same mode of describing the squares is adopted by both players. White's first rank of squares is Black's eighth, and vice versa. A little consideration and practice will render this method of notation quite familiar to the student. He should begin by setting up the men in due array ; after a few repetitions, and comparing their positions with the first diagram, he will soon be enabled to arrange them correctly without referring to the book at all. It will then be well for him to clear the board of all but a single Piece, and practice with that until perfect in its movements ; another and another may then be added, until the action of every one is as easy to him as the alphabet.

As a first exercise he may begin by playing his Queen to her square {i.e., her first square), then play her to Q.'s 5th square, then (diagonally) to Q.'s Rook's 8th square, then to Q.'s R.'s square, and then home again to her square. These directions, abbreviated in the manner described at page 3, would stand thus :—

1. Q . to her sq.

2. Q. to her 5th

3. Q. to her R.'s 8th

4. Q . to K. R.'s 8th

5. Q. to her R.'s sq.

6. Q. to her sq.

↑ Properly speaking, the squares on the first rank should be designated as "First," as "K.'s Rook's first square," &c. ; but it is customary to use the word "square" only in this case, and to omit it and five the number of the square instead when the squares of other ranks are mentioned. Thus in playing a Knight to K. B.'s 3rd square, we describe the move as merely Kt. to K. B.'s 3rd ; but if the Knight were played to K. B.'s 1st square, or K's 1st square, the move would be described as Kt. to K. B.'s square, or Kt. to K's square.

[1] Properly speaking, the squares on the first rank should be designated as "First," as "K.'s Rook's first square," &c. ; but it is customary to use the word "square" only in this case, and to omit it and five the number of the square instead when the squares of other ranks are mentioned. Thus in playing a Knight to K. B.'s 3rd square, we describe the move as merely Kt. to K. B.'s 3rd ; but if the Knight were played to K. B.'s 1st square, or K's 1st square, the move would be described as Kt. to K. B.'s square, or Kt. to K's square.

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