A king cannot enter a square occupied by one of its fellow pieces. A king cannot move into a “ check” position, which is the term used to define when a king is directly within the line of attack by an opposing piece. Additionally, if a king is placed in check by the actions of an opponent, the check must be broken before any other piece can move, either by moving the king out of check or placing another piece between the king and the attacking piece. A final move the king can make is called “castling,” which involves the king moving anywhere from one to three spaces while switching places with the nearest rook, offering the king protection.

The king is undoubtedly the most important piece in chess, but it is also one of the most vulnerable and limited. The object of chess is twofold, and both of a player’s goals relate to the two kings on the board: firstly, a player seeks to capture, or “checkmate,” their opponent’s king, while secondly, they seek to prevent their own king from being checkmated. Once a king is checkmated, the game is over, and a win goes to the player who checkmated their opponent.Īside from the pawns, the king is one of the most limited chess pieces in terms of movement. A king can move in any direction (upwards, downwards, sideways, or diagonally) but it can only move one square per turn.Īdditionally, the king must follow certain rules regarding its movement.

All chess pieces names