Six pieces. Six ways to move.

First, the squares have names

Files are lettered a to h from White’s left. Ranks are numbered 1 to 8 from White’s side. The square e4 is the intersection of the e-file and the fourth rank. This coordinate system is how every move is recorded and how you will read notation.

When a piece moves, its destination is usually enough to describe the move: Nf3 means a knight goes to f3. Captures add an x: Bxe5 means a bishop captures on e5.

Read chess notation →

The pawn: small, permanent, transformative

A pawn moves one square forward. On its first move, it may advance two squares. It captures one square diagonally forward, never straight ahead. Pawns cannot move backwards, and they cannot capture the piece directly in front of them.

A pawn that reaches the far rank is promoted to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight. Promotion is part of the move. Because pawns cannot retreat, every pawn move permanently changes the shape of the position.

The knight: the only jumper

The knight moves in an L-shape: two squares in one direction, then one square perpendicular. It is the only piece that can jump over friendly and enemy pieces. A knight on the edge controls fewer squares; a knight near the centre controls up to eight.

Knights are especially useful in closed positions, where pawns block the long-range pieces. Their forks — attacking two valuable pieces at once — are one of the first tactical patterns a beginner should learn.

The bishop: a lifetime on one colour

A bishop moves any number of squares along a diagonal. It cannot jump over pieces. Each bishop is permanently bound to the colour of square it started on: one bishop controls light squares, the other dark squares.

Bishops are strongest on open diagonals. A bishop blocked by its own pawns is often called a “bad bishop”; the solution is usually to move the pawns or find a better diagonal, not to abandon the bishop.

The rook: the endgame engine

A rook moves any number of squares along a rank or file. It cannot jump. Rooks start in the corners and become more powerful as the pawns leave the board.

Rooks belong on open files and on the seventh rank, where they can attack pawns from behind. Castling is the one time a rook moves without being chosen directly: it jumps to the square the king crossed.

The queen: power with a target

The queen combines the rook and bishop: any distance along a rank, file, or diagonal. She is the most mobile piece on the board and usually the most valuable after the king.

That power is also a liability. Bringing the queen out early invites attacks from knights and bishops, and every retreat loses time. A queen is strongest when the board is open and the king is exposed.

The king: one square, one rule

The king moves one square in any direction. It may not move into check, and it may not castle through a square attacked by an enemy piece. In the opening and middlegame, the king usually stays behind a pawn wall.

In the endgame, the king becomes an active fighter. With few pieces left, centralising the king is often the difference between a win and a draw. The king is never captured; checkmate ends the game first.

Values are a guide, not a scoreboard

The usual beginner values are pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, and queen 9. The king has no trading value because the game ends when it is checkmated. These numbers help you decide whether a trade is reasonable.

They do not override the position. A rook on an open file can be worth more than a queen trapped behind its own pawns. A knight on a dominant outpost can outplay a bishop with no squares. Use the values as a first check, then ask what the piece can actually do.

Read the complete rules →