Grids and locations

Look at a chessboard, a Ludo board, or the seats in a cinema. Each cell or seat has a unique address , a row and a column. That is the simplest way to describe a location.

What is this?

A grid is made by drawing horizontal and vertical lines that cross each other. Each cell has a row (horizontal position) and a column (vertical position).

Rows are usually numbered 1, 2, 3, … from bottom or top. Columns are usually labelled A, B, C, … from left.

So a cell at column B, row 3 is called B3.

A chessboard uses this system: columns A to H, rows 1 to 8. Every square has a unique name like A1, D4, H8.

In a city map, the grid lines may be labelled A, B, C and 1, 2, 3. To find a place, you look up its grid reference in an index. For example, "St. John's Hospital , D5" tells you to find column D, row 5.

To describe a path on a grid, we count how many cells we move in each direction. From B3 to D5: move 2 right (B → C → D), then 2 up (3 → 4 → 5).

This is also how cities like Chandigarh are laid out , in numbered sectors and blocks. Easy to navigate once you understand the grid.

Worked examples

Example 1. On a grid, my house is at C2 and my school at F5. What is the shortest path?

• Right: C → D → E → F (3 cells).
• Up: 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 (3 cells).
• Path: 3 right and 3 up, total 6 cells.

Example 2. In a chess game, a piece moves from A1 to A8. How many squares?

• Same column (A), from row 1 to row 8.
• 8 − 1 = 7 squares upwards.

Example 3. Describe the position of the king at the start of a chess game.

• White king starts at E1.

Try it

1. From B2 to E5, how many cells right and how many up?
2. A treasure is at G4. Starting at A1, what is the shortest path?
3. If a hospital is at D6 and a school at B3, in which direction is the school from the hospital?
4. Draw a 5 × 5 grid. Label rows 1–5 and columns A–E. Mark a point at C3.
5. Two friends sit at row 2, seat 4 and row 5, seat 4 in a cinema. How many rows apart?

Hands-on

Seat-finding game. On a 5 × 5 grid, label rows and columns. Hide a "treasure" in any cell. Have a friend ask "Is it in row 3?" or "Is it in column C?" Use yes/no answers to narrow down. Like Battleship.

Map grid hunt. Look at a city map with grid lines. Pick three places listed in the map index and find each using its grid reference. Note how it speeds up the search.