Chess, which has been around since the 15 century, is played between two opponents. Each player has 16 pieces: 1 king, 1 queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights, and 8 pawns. The goal of the game is to checkmate the opponent’s king. Checkmating happens when the king is in a position to be captured and cannot escape from capture. What better way to build a child's intelligence than teaching him/her the game of Chess. Fun and exciting. The boards come in different sizes.