Chessboard

A square made up of 64 equal-sized squares, alternating light and dark, eight to a side. The light squares are called white squares, the dark ones black squares.

The board is set up so that a white corner square is on the player's right. Every square has a name of its own, used to record the moves of a game or a given position (see Chess notation).

There are three kinds of rows of squares: files, ranks, and diagonals.

Files

Straight rows of squares running vertically.

Ranks

Straight rows of squares running horizontally.

Diagonals

Rows of same-colored squares running on a slant.

The a1-h8 and h1-a8 diagonals are called the long diagonals.

Flanks

The "a"-"d" files make up the queenside; the "e"-"h" files make up the kingside.

Center

The d4-d5-e5-e4 squares are called the central squares, or the center.

Sometimes, as distinct from the "small" center, people speak of the "extended" center, meaning the square bounded by c3, c6, f3, and f6.