Scratch

def printBoard(board):
    printBoard = ['','','','','','','','']
    for k in range(0, 8):
        for i in range(0,8):
            printBoard[i] += board[i][k] #k and i may be subject to switch
    for row in printBoard:
        print(row)
        print('')

letters2nums = {'a':0,'b':1,'c':2,'d':3,'e':4,'f':5,'g':6,'h':7}
rows = []
addRow = [' -- ',' -- ',' -- ',' -- ',' -- ',' -- ',' -- ',' -- ',' -- ']
for i in range(0,8):
    rows = rows + [addRow]
rows[0] = [' br ', ' bn ', ' bb ', ' bq ', ' bk ', ' bb ', ' bn ', ' br ']
rows[1] = [' bp ',' bp ',' bp ',' bp ',' bp ',' bp ',' bp ',' bp ']
rows[6] = [' wp ',' wp ',' wp ',' wp ',' wp ',' wp ',' wp ',' wp ']
rows[7] = [' wr ', ' wn ', ' wb ', ' wq ', ' wk ', ' wb ', ' wn ', ' wr ']
printBoard(rows)
print("Your turn!")
print("First, enter the square of the piece you'd like to move.")
print("Then, enter the square of the place you'd like to move your piece to.")
moveLegal = False
while moveLegal == False:
    part1 = input("Part 1:")
    part2 = input("Part 2:")
    print(rows[8-int(part1[1])][letters2nums[part1[0]]][1])
    if rows[8-int(part1[1])][letters2nums[part1[0]]][1] == 'w' and not rows[8-int(part2[1])][letters2nums[part2[0]]][1] == 'w':
        piece = rows[8-int(part1[1])][letters2nums[part1[0]]]
        currRow = 8-int(part1[1])
        currClmn = letters2nums[part1[0]]
        futureRow = 8-int(part2[1])
        futureClmn = letters2nums[part2[0]]
        moveLegal = True
(rows[futureRow])[futureClmn] = piece
rows[currRow][currClmn] = ' -- '
printBoard(rows)