A review of the chess board will show that every piece, as it, stands on the board, protects one pawn, while each of the two centre pawns has four defences: The weakest parts of the board are the pawns before the knights and bi shops.
The king cannot remain in check, nor can he remove to a square that is com manded by any piece or pawn of the ad versary. When he is so situated as to be liable to be taken, i. e. in check, and that he cannot move but into a similar situa tion, the game is ended, by what is pall ed check-mate. When the party cannot move any of his pieces or pawns, and his king is not in check, or, as it is called, en prise, but would be so if he moved, he wins the game, under the plea of stale. mate. To effect this, when the party has lost his defences, is therefore an object of moment. Young players, when carry ing all before them, very frequently give their adversaries this negative victory, by pushing on, without attending to the con sequences of too closely confining the opponent's king.
When the space between the king and, either castle is clear, and that neither the king nor castle is en prise, the cast tle may then be brought next to the king, and the king be placed on the opposite. side of the castle ; this is called castleing, but can only be done once in the game, and before either the king or the castle has made any move. If either the king, or castle, crosses or comes upon a square that is commanded by a piece or pawn belonging to the adversary, the castleing cannot he allowed.
This operation is resorted to, either for the purpose of withdrawing the king from an attack directed against the square on which he is placed, or against that of his pawn ; or it is used as the means of opening a communication between the two castles, when all the intermediate pieces are removed; or to strengthen the defence of the centre pawns, as well as to carry the game into the centre of the adversary's board. It is to be remarked,
that the centre is ever to be strongly de fended, if the measures pursued by the other party should admit. When the la teral game is played, that defence must be adopted which circumstances demand. The judicious chess player never makes an useless move, nor leaves a pawn or a piece unprotected. He forms his plans regularly, so as to calculate with preci sion what would be the position of the pieces after four or five moves he has in contemplation may have been made. He looks more to the solidity of his measures than to little ensnaring stratagems ; though he will not fail to appear ignorant of such designs as he may perceive to be within the intention of his opponent, when he knows that by an affected in attention, or blindness, to the device, he oan make a more immediate impression, and render the whole speculation, not only void, but the means of ruining its projector.
The game of chess has certainly some affinity to the art of war ; but the analo gy is not so strict as players generally suppose. We can, however, inform the amateurs of this pleasing species of con test, that a work is now in the press which cannot fail to afford a treat, as it opens a new field for the display of skill, and teems with the most ample and interest ing varieties.