A standard chessboard has 64 small (1×1) squares, but if you count all the squares of every possible size on the board, there are 204 squares in total.

Quick Scoop

  • 1×1 squares: 64.
  • 2×2 squares: 49.
  • 3×3 squares: 36.
  • 4×4 squares: 25.
  • 5×5 squares: 16.
  • 6×6 squares: 9.
  • 7×7 squares: 4.
  • 8×8 squares: 1.

Adding them up: 64 + 49 + 36 + 25 + 16 + 9 + 4 + 1 = 204 squares on a standard chessboard.

Squares on a Standard Chessboard

[9] [1][9] [1][3] [1][3] [3][9] [9][3] [3][9] [9][3] [7][3][9]
Square size Number of such squares
1×1 64
2×2 49
3×3 36
4×4 25
5×5 16
6×6 9
7×7 4
8×8 1
Total 204

So if someone asks “a chess board has how many squares,” the answer depends on what they mean:

  • Only playing squares: 64.
  • All possible squares of every size: 204.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.