King in Chess & How it Moves?
The chess king is the most important piece in a game of chess.
The chess king cannot move as far as other pieces because it can only go one space at a time, but this makes it immune to captures by the opponent and gives it an advantage in some situations.
In this guide, we will explore what the chess king does on its own turn and when capturing another piece, what are all the moves of Chess King & we will also mention how to use the chess king to your best advantage?
Well, let’s Get Started…
What is Chess King?
King: Infinite Points
As you know, the two very important aspects of the game of chess are attacking your opponent’s king while also keeping your own king safe and protected.
Capturing/Checkmating a king means winning the game.
Note: King is never captured unlike any other chess pieces, it either gets check or checkmated. Capturing the king & removing the king from the board is prohibited.
The chess king has limited movement, but this doesn’t mean that you should never move your king out from behind its castle walls. Sometimes moving out into uncharted territory will allow for clever tactics in order to better checkmate the opponent’s kingside or queenside army.
You can also use your king as one of your defenders to block an opponent’s pawn or other pieces from taking important squares in front of you. If you do not rely on your rooks for this job, keep them close to the castle walls where they will be safe from being captured by enemy knights.
How King Moves In Chess?
The role of this powerful chess king can vary depending on how you use it and where you place it, but understanding its basic moves will help you decide when to make your move with the king.
When making moves with your chess king, remember that the King captures pieces the same way that he moves. He can take any enemy piece next to him.
The king moves slowly and can only move one space. He can go forward, backward, or to the left or right as well as diagonally. The king needs help from his army to protect him.
Not only that, the king has one special move up his sleeve, called “Castling”.
Castling in Chess, is a special move in chess and the only time where you can move 2 pieces in the same move/turn, under certain conditions!
Castling is done by moving The King 2 squares either to his left or right side & The Rook jumps over and sits next to him.
When the King castles with the nearest Rook (King-side rook) it’s called “kingside castling.” Similarly, when the king castles with the faraway rook (Queen-side rook) it’s called “queenside castling.”
Escape King From Check
When the king is in check, i.e. when an enemy piece can capture him.
For example, if a chess queen moves next to the king and there are no other pieces on that row or column between them, as well as the king doesn’t have any squares to get away from the queen’s check then she can take the king with one move ending his reign.
If you’re ever stuck in this situation, don’t panic! All hope isn’t lost for your King’s safety yet because he doesn’t have to be captured right away. If it looks as though he will get taken in the next few moves – which is called being “checkmated” – then make sure to try these escape tactics:
- Capturing the checking piece
- To block a check, place one of your pieces between the checking piece and the king.
- Move your King out of the way and out of check
Conclusion
I hope you learnt how the king moves, his special move and what to do when in check.
Congratulations on mastering the Chess King, make sure to remember all the important moves of King while playing chess.
Thanks, you learn something amazing today! Don’t forget to share it with your chess buddies.