Chess may not be aerobic exercise, but it definitely gives your brain a workout. “Children pick it up very quickly,” says Justin Morrison, owner of Kid Chess in Marietta.

Chess pieces all have their own movements; some can only move one way, but some can move in multiple fashions. Here is the lowdown on how to play.

Pawns. Initially, a pawn can be moved forward one or two squares. After that, it can only move forward one square at a time. Pawns capture other pieces by moving diagonally to occupy the space of the opponent’s piece. A more advanced capture move is “en passant”. This special capture occurs when you move your pawn two squares on its initial movement; if your opponent has a pawn next to the square your pawn lands on after moving two squares, he has the option to take the moved pawn “en passant” by moving diagonally into the square your pawn skipped over. Any pawn that reaches the edge of the board can be promoted, at which time it becomes another type of piece, most commonly a queen. A player who promotes a pawn in this way gains a large strategic advantage. Pawns are considered weak individually, but are very good for blocking and protecting other pieces.

Rooks. The rook (or castle) can move forward, sideways or backward for one or as many squares as possible. The rooks’ mobility makes them the second most powerful piece on the board after the queen. Rooks can capture pieces that are directly in their path in any horizontal or vertical direction. Two rooks together can control a large section of the board and can easily capture an opponent’s king in the open. Rooks can also perform a special one-time move with their King called “castling”, which puts the King in a more protected position.

Knights. The knight’s move is composed of two different steps. First, it makes one step of one single square either forward, backward or to the side; then, still moving away from the square of departure, one step of one single square on a diagonal. It does not matter if the square of the first step is occupied. This creates an L-shape, which is an easy way to visualize a knight’s move. Any opponent’s piece in the square that ends a knight’s move can be captured. The odd movement pattern makes knights valuable for their ability to “jump over” enemy defenses, as well as being able to defend a large number of surrounding squares. Knights that are closer to the center of the board will generally be more valuable than knights that are stuck along the edges because they can make more moves.

Bishops. A bishop moves diagonally across the board, forward or backward, always staying on the same color. A bishop can move as many squares as possible in one direction in each turn, and capture any opponent piece in its path. Because bishops move diagonally, this piece is excellent for finding gaps in the opponent's defenses. A well-placed bishop can protect and control a strategic range of spaces on the board because of its diagonal movement.

Queens. This piece can move in any direction for as many squares as possible, making the queen the most powerful piece on the board. The queen can capture any opponent’s piece in her path. The queen is usually the focal piece of any offensive strategy, and losing the queen can have a severe impact on the balance of a game. As a result, the queen should be moved cautiously and should be protected by at least one other piece at all times, if possible. As mentioned above, if a pawn reaches the far end of the board it can be promoted to queen, even if the original queen is still on the board. Having two (or more) of this powerful piece is an extreme advantage.

Kings. The king can move in any direction, but only one square at a time. The king can capture any piece that is beside it. However, the king can never move into a position that would allow it to be captured by the opponent, because that would end the game. As a result, you can never have two kings sitting on squares next to each other. The king is usually not used to capture other pieces. Instead, the best strategy is to move the king behind other pieces so it is not exposed to attack. Remember, if you lose your king the game is over!