Chess pieces
How the king moves
The king moves one square in any direction.
The king's move, in plain words
The king moves one square in any direction. It cannot move onto a square that an enemy piece attacks. If the king is attacked and cannot escape, it is checkmate and the game ends.
priceless8 squares from the center3 squares from a corner
What to remember
- In the opening and middlegame, keep the king safe, usually by castling.
- In the endgame, bring the king to the center; it becomes a strong piece.
- Kings can never stand next to each other, because each would attack the other.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the king in the center with open files.
- Forgetting that moving into check is illegal.
- Pushing the pawns in front of the castled king too far.
In Cats vs Dogs Chess
The king is a Maine Coon or a German Shepherd
It waddles one square at a time. Play the 3D game against the computer or a friend, free in your browser.
Play chessPractice with puzzles
The other pieces
Questions
How does the king move?
One square in any direction: forward, backward, sideways or diagonally.
Can a king capture?
Yes, but only a piece that is not protected. A king cannot capture into check.
What is castling?
A special move that moves the king two squares toward a rook, and the rook to the square the king crossed. It is allowed once, if neither piece has moved, the squares between them are empty, and the king is not in check and does not pass through or end in check.