Thank goodness there are illegal moves in chess!
It would not be a very fun game if all the pieces could move any which way.
Let’s take a closer look at what might happen.
Pawns have been told they are too limited – must move in all directions
Painstakingly teaching castles and bishops to use the other squares
Knight has a moving disability – need to get professionals to correct it
Queen is allowed way too much leeway, she needs to be handicapped until castles and bishops catch up with her. What the heck, and pawns too
And what’s up with king and queen being set in their gender roles – they have to be able to trade, if they want to
And, really, what if you were born white but you feel black, of vice versa? You should be allowed to get repainted, or simply switch sides while declaring to everybody that you were born the wrong colour.
Awesome game!
Back to kids
To avoid this pandemonium, they have to know that in order for it to be a complex and rewarding game, some pieces have to move differently. And many many moves are illegal! Trust me, the game is rich and complex as it is, and trying to relax the rules will not make it better. It will just ruin it altogether.
Ready to start learning? How about we simplify the game with two white pawns and one black one that doesn’t move, just so that we get our moves sorted out. Trust me, it will still be a fun game, just a much simpler one for now. We’ll step it up as soon as you learn.