The pieces

Pawn
Bishop
Knight
Rook
Queen
King
.. and that's it. They make up 16 pieces in total, aligned at the two rows closest to you. Basically, this is how you should place them on the board. The arrangement of chess pieces is standard for every game. The rooks should be placed at the 2 corners of the board, with 2 knights beside them. For those who are lost, knights are the pieces with a horse head. The next two pieces should be the bishops. Now, for the last two pieces. Now here's the golden rule: Put the queen on the remaining two squares that is of the same colour as the queen. The king will take the last spot in the last row. The next line will be filled with a row of pawns, or your army of soldiers.
Usually, the first player moves the white pieces and can be determined by any method. A flip or the coin or the "loser takes white" rule will do.