Chess ABC

Elements of the Game

The King

The principal chess piece

In order to win a game, we have to confine the enemy King to a certain square and give it Checkmate. That is, to attack it in a way that  cannot be neutralized (some players resign when the threats against their King have no possible solution).

The King’s mobility is limited, paradoxically speaking.  It only moves one square at a time, in any direction – vertical, horizontal or diagonal- but it cannot move onto a threatened square.

The movement of the King

This description of the King’s movement has only one exception for each King in a game:  the movement called Castling (see Special Movements).

The King is allowed to capture pieces, but only if these pieces are undefended.

The King can’t disappear from the game. A player may lose or exchange all his pieces but the monarch will be present on the board from the very beginning to the very end of the game.

Limits of the movement

As happens with the other Pieces, the edge of the Board is a natural limit of its movement. Other fundamental limits are the squares attacked by a rival Piece.

The King can´t have access to squares dominated by rival pieces

Movements Possible without Capturing
Capturing