Square Colors

About this drill

A bishop on c1 will never touch a light square. A knight on f3 stands on a light square after one move and a dark one after two. Bishop trades, pawn chains and weak squares come down to colour, and strong players know the colour of any square without looking.

What you will learn

• 01 The rule: number the files a to h as 1 to 8, add the rank; even is dark, odd is light.
• 02 Anchors you never need to count: a1 dark, h1 light, d4 and e5 dark, e4 and d5 light.
• 03 The long diagonals as reference lines: a1 to h8 dark, h1 to a8 light.
• 04 To answer from the pattern rather than the sum, which the timed level demands.

How the levels build

Level 1 shows a faded board. The coordinate is spoken, you answer light or dark, and the board is there to check the pattern, not to look up the answer.

Level 2 removes the board. The square is only named and you decide from memory. This is where the inner board gets built and your time should go.

Level 3 keeps the board hidden and adds four seconds per square, too short to add file to rank every time; you need the anchors and the diagonals. Level 1 is free, levels 2 and 3 are in Pro.

How to practise it

Play level 1 once with your eyes on the faded board, then once with your eyes off it, answering by voice with "light" or "dark". Pass level 1 at 80 percent without looking, then move to level 2. Note which squares you miss; placing each next to an anchor fixes it.

Questions people ask

Is a1 a light or a dark square?

Dark. File number plus rank is 1 + 1 = 2, even. h1 is light, and the whole a1 to h8 diagonal is dark.

Why do square colours matter in chess?

A bishop is bound to one colour for the whole game, so a good or bad bishop is a colour question. A knight changes colour on every move. Neither helps if you must count to know the colour of f5.

Is the Square Colors drill free?

Level 1 is free with no card. Levels 2 and 3 are in Pro, $6.99 a month or $49 a year, or during the 72 hours of Pro that three days in a row of training earn.