Checkerboard vs. Chessboard

Main Difference

The main difference between Checkerboard and Chessboard is that the Checkerboard is a board of chequered pattern used in games and Chessboard is a type of checkerboard used in the board game chess.

• Checkerboard

  A checkerboard (American English) or chequerboard (British English; see spelling differences) is a board of chequered pattern on which draughts (checkers) is played. Most commonly, it consists of 64 squares (8×8) of alternating dark and light color, often black and white. An 8×8 checkerboard is used to play many other games, including chess, whereby it is known as a chessboard. Other rectangular square-tiled boards are also often called checkerboards.

• Chessboard

  A chessboard is the type of chequerboard used in the board game chess, over which the chess pieces are laid. It’s usually square in shape, with a peculiar pattern of alternating two colours between its subdivisions. Wooden boards may use naturally light and dark brown woods, while plastic and vinyl boards often use brown or green for the dark squares and shades such as buff or cream for the light squares. Materials vary widely; while wooden boards are generally used in high-level games; vinyl, plastic, and cardboard are common for low-level and informal play. Decorative glass and marble boards are available but rarely accepted for games rated by national or international chess federations.

  In western chess the board has a squared shape, with its side being divided into eight parts, resulting in a total of sixty-four subdivisions. In other variants, the total number of subdivisions may range from nine to one hundred and twelve. Each subdivision of the board is called a square and receives a unique identification to be used in chess notation, which may be descriptive, algebraic, or numeric. In two-dimensional boards, each horizontal rectilinear array of squares is called a rank, each vertical rectilinear array of squares is called a file, and each line of squares of the same colour touching corner to corner is called a diagonal.