Chess For Beginners

How to Move the Pieces in Chess:

How to Move the King in Chess

When it comes how to move the King in chess, just remember the King moves exactly as you would expect, slow, steady, and powerful.

Let’s think about the the King for a moment…. The King. The ruler of all the land. The one piece the entire game of chess revolves around and his starting position in on the chessboard in the center of all pieces reflects this.

 

The king’s word is law. Defy the king, and it could very well be off with your head. The people are loyal to the King, and naturally, they want the king to survive and this is the sole point behind the game of chess: capture your opponent’s king before your opponent captures yours.

 

Your king must survive. Every move in chess is based around the King, with the purpose of either protecting your own King or capturing your opponents.  

 

 

How to Move the Almighty King in Chess

The King is similar to how he moves in regards to the Queen. Both have the free rein to move in any direction which they choose. However, the King is a man of power and his moves are deliberate.

For this reason, the King moves deliberately, only one square at a time.  Can you imagine a king running around his kingdom? Of course not! The king sits comfortably on his throne, while he has others do his bidding. Hence, it would make sense for the King to move in such a manner in the game of chess.

 

How to Move the King in Chess

1. On an open board, the King would have 8 different moves at all times, as there are 8 different directions.
2. When an opponents chess piece is moved in a position to capture the King, this is known as “check”.
3. In order to get out of check, and avoid “checkmate” (the end of the chess game) The King must be either
   1. Moved to a safe space on the chessboard outside of check
   2. Capture the opposing chess piece
   3. Have one of his own chess pieces move between him and the opponent’s piece
4. When the King is trapped by an opponent, and will be captured no matter where he or another one of his pieces moves, this is known as “checkmate”, and is the end of the game. 

 

   

 

Moving the King Out of “Check”

As seen below, the King has been placed in “check” by the dark bishop. There are several options here.

1. Move the King to one of the 3 directions pointed by the arrows from the King.
2. Move the white bishop in front of the king.

*Note: The King cannot move to right, as the dark rook would be able to attack. If the King were not in “check”, the white bishop would capture the dark rook.

Notes About The King & How to Move the King in Chess

1. As noted above, a King can get out of check by one of three different ways.
   1. He moves out of the range of attack.
   2. He captures the checking piece.
   3. One of his pieces moves in between him and the enemy
2. The King is able to do a move known as “Castling”, the only move that allows a piece to move 2 spaces at once. Find out more about “Castling” here. 
3. The King’s value is invaluable.

 

Read More Here:

 

Learn How to Play Chess

Learn Basic Chess Strategy

How to Checkmate in 2 Moves (Fool’s Mate)

How to Checkmate in 3 Moves

How to Checkmate in 4 Moves (Scholar’s Mate)