Chess is a strategic board game played between two players on an 8x8 grid called a chessboard. Each player starts with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. The objective is to checkmate the opponent’s king, meaning the king is under attack and has no legal moves to escape. The game combines elements of strategy, tactics, and foresight, with each type of piece moving in distinct patterns. The game can end in checkmate, stalemate, or draw by various other rules.