Printable chess boards and chess pieces for kids

On this page you will find printable chess boards and chess pieces for kids. All you need to make this chess set is a printer, 8.5 x 11 paper, scissors and some tape.

First choose the chess board you’d like to use. There are 3 color variations to choose from. There’s the standard wood (brown and white) chess board, a black and white chess board, and finally a red and black chess board.

Once you’ve printed the chess board and cut it out, it’s time to create the chess pieces. If you’ve chosen the brown and white chess board or the black and white chess board, print out the black pieces and the white pieces. If you’ve chosen the red and black chessboard, print out the black and red pieces. Cut each of the pieces out and fold them along the middle and along their tabs. With a piece of tape, tape the two tabs together so the pieces stand up right.

Printable Chess Boards

Now it’s time to set up your pieces. Starting from the corner to your left, the order is: Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, Rook. The color of the Queen should match the color of the tile she is on. If this is not the case, rotate the chess board. On the next row, place all your pawns. Once your opponent has set up all their pieces, it’s time to play.

Printable Chess Pieces

Before you start playing, it’s important to know how to move the pieces: The pawns can only move forward one space, except on their first move, when they may move 2 spaces forward. Pawns attack diagonally. The Rook can move forward, back, left, or right any number of spaces. The Knight moves in an “L” shape: One space in one direction, then 2 spaces perpendicularly to the initial direction. The Bishop can move diagonally any number of spaces. The has the power of both the Rook and the Bishop, and can move diagonally and forward, back, left and right any number of spaces. The King can do the same, but only one space. Finally, when the game start, white moves first. There are a few more rules, such as castling, but these basics should get you started. The game ends in checkmate if one player’s King is under attack but has no where left to go.