Boards & Equipment

What is a back rank in chess?

  • Board
  • Pieces
  • Coordinates

Back rank is a board or equipment term: a player's first rank (the rank on which the pieces stand in the starting position). White's back rank is Black's eighth rank; Black's back rank is White's eighth rank. Also called home rank and first rank. You use this term to describe the board accurately, which matters for notation, coordinates, and analysis.

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