Before you move a single piece, the board must be set up correctly. The two golden rules to remember are “white on the right” (the bottom-right corner square from your perspective must be a light square) and “queen on her color” (the white queen starts on a light square, and the black queen starts on a dark square). The pawns form a protective wall on the second row, with the major pieces arranged behind them: rooks in the corners, then knights, then bishops, and finally the king and queen in the very center.
For experienced players
Note how the queens face each other directly on the open d-file, while the kings face off on the e-file, establishing the natural geometry of the board from move one.
See also:How the Pawn Moves·How the Knight Moves·How the Bishop Moves·How the Rook Moves·How the Queen Moves·How the King Moves