The King
The King
At the beginning of the game the White king will be on the e1-square, and the Black king will be on the e8 square. (See Figure 1)
The king is the most important piece on the chessboard, because if your king is captured, you lose the game. The king moves to any adjoining square that is not attacked by one or more of the opponent's pieces. You could say he moves like the queen - just one square at a time.
Movement
Away from the edge of the board, the king can move or attack eight squares (Figure 2). A well positioned king can have a greater influence on the game than a bishop, but because of his importance the king is normally sheltered by the other pieces during much of the battle.
Opposition
In Figure 3 we see a situation known as opposition. Opposition occurs when the kings are one square apart, and both sit on the same file or rank.
It is White's turn to play. Since kings can not move to a square that is attacked, the d5, e5, and f5-squares are off limits.
The Rules of Chess
- Basics Improve logical thinking, memory and problem solving
- Chess Board The pathways of the pieces
- Queen The most powerful piece on the board
- Rooks Form a battery to increase their power
- Bishops A long range attacking piece
- Knights Must be centralized to be effective
- Pawns They move along the file and attack on the diagonals
- King If your king is in checkmate you lose the game
- Castling Keep the king safe and give him a castle
- Checkmate Game over
United States Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess
The U.S. Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess is the only official rulebook for chess. Serious players at every level as well as chess club teachers, directors, and tournament sponsors should have it on hand during every match. This new edition features the latest rules, including guidelines for the popular game of speed chess, an updated quick rating system, and the latest conventions of governing tournaments. It also contains explanations of every legal move, a guide to calculating lifetime rankings, guidelines for sponsoring and running a tournament, and a lesson on how to read and write chess notation.
The King