Questions about the Naming the Squares poster

What’s on the Naming the Squares poster?

A definition and 6 facts worth remembering. Files a–h run left to right from White's viewpoint; ranks 1–8 run away from White. Every square is a letter plus a number, always given in that order. a1 is dark; h1 is light.; If the file letter and rank number are both odd or both even, the square is dark.; White's back rank is 1; Black's is 8.; The centre squares are d4, d5, e4 and e5.; The long diagonals are a1–h8 and a8–h1.; Naming squares aloud speeds calculation considerably.; Squares — 64; Light / dark — 32 each; Centre — d4 d5 e4 e5; e4 is light. e is the 5th letter (odd) and 4 is even, so the square is light.. Being able to name a square's colour without looking is a genuine calculation aid, especially in bishop endgames.

Who is the Naming the Squares poster for?

Naming the Squares belongs to the Chess section rather than to a school year, because games is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning fundamentals can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.

When should you use the Naming the Squares poster?

Files are letters, ranks are numbers, always from White's side. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Naming the Squares belongs on the wall where that games work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.

What other posters go with Naming the Squares?

Setting Up the Board, Check, Mate & Stalemate and Chess Clocks sit alongside Naming the Squares in the Chess section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Setting Up the BoardCheck, Mate & StalemateChess Clocks

Is the Naming the Squares poster free to download and print?

Yes. Naming the Squares downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Chess section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence

What size does the Naming the Squares poster print at?

Naming the Squares is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Naming the Squares loses nothing.Printing guide