Chess: Chessboard Ranks, Files and Diagonals

The chessboard is divided into rows and columns. The three most important things to understand on the chessboard are the ranks, files, and diagonals. To make it easy as a chess lesson for kids online, ranks are the rows. There are 8 rows on a chessboard.

The columns are called the files. There are also 8 files on the chessboard. The third very important thing is diagonal. It means from one corner of the chessboard to another end.

The diagonal is made up of 8 squares. There are also some short diagonals on board. The chessboard has light- and dark-colored squares. They can be any two different colors. They alternate in a pattern, light square followed by a dark square. These squares are very important for making chess strategies while playing.