3. Setup
Placing the Board
- The board is placed between the players so that the long diagonal starts at each player's left-hand side; the first square at each player's left hand is then a dark square (2.4)
- If the board is found to be wrongly positioned during a game, the game is annulled and has to restart (5.1)
Starting Position
- The 20 black men occupy squares 1 to 20; the 20 white men occupy squares 31 to 50 (2.8)
- Squares 21 to 30 — the two middle rows — start empty (2.8)
- Compliance with the starting position must be checked before the game starts; an irregularity noticed later is handled under the general irregularity rule (5.2, 5.4)
Who Moves First
- The first move of a game always belongs to the player with the white men (3.3)
- Players then move alternately, each with their own pieces (3.3)
- Any piece standing on a white square is inactive and can be brought into play only with the opponent's permission (5.3)