Place the board so each player has a light square on the right-hand corner
Arrange the back rank pieces in this order from left to right: rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook
Place all eight pawns on the row directly in front of the back rank
Put the white pieces on the first two rows closest to White
Put the black pieces on the first two rows closest to Black
Place the white queen on a white square
Place the black queen on a black square
Keep the kings on the remaining central square of their back rank
Ensure both sides have the same piece setup before starting the game