The King has very limited powers. He can move one square in any direction. The King can never move to a square where he can be captured by an enemy unit. Nor can the King move to a square occupied by one of his own units. The King cannot leap over friendly or hostile units.. But he can capture any hostile unit that is within his moving range.
In the diagram above, the King can move to any of the squares with the dark circles.
The Queen is the strongest piece by far on the chessboard, as she has the greatest range in moving and capturing. Like the King, the Queen can move in any direction - right or left, backward or forward, or diagonally - and can keep going unless and until she is obstructed by a friendly or hostile unit.
In the diagram above, the Queen can move to any of the squares with the dark circles.
The Rook, like the Queen, can move vertically (forward or backward) and horizontally (to the right or left). However, the Rook lacks the Queen's Power of moving diagonally, so we can say that the Queen is a stronger and more valuable unit than the Rook.
In the diagram above, the Rook can move to any of the squares with the dark circles.
The Bishop, like the Queen, moves on diagonals, but, unlike the Queen, he cannot move vertically or horizontally. As you will note, each player at the start of the game has two bishops, one on light squares and one on dark squares. As Bishops travel only on diagonals, they are confined to squares of the same color throughout the game. Bishops can move along their diagonals until he is obstructed by a friendly or hostile unit.
In the diagram above, the Bishop can move to any of the squares with the dark circles.
The Knight is perhaps the most interesting of all the chessmen; certainly he contributes a great deal to the color and variety of chess. The special qualities of the Knight are:
(1) His move is always of the same length - three squares.
(2) He does not move along files, ranks or diagonals.
(3) He can leap over friendly and hostile men.
(1) His move is always of the same length - three squares.
(2) He does not move along files, ranks or diagonals.
(3) He can leap over friendly and hostile men.
In the diagram above, the Knight can move to any of the squares with the dark circles. The Knight can also leap over friendly and hostile pieces.
The Pawn is the least powerful of the men and can only move forward. When a Pawn is still on its original square, it has the option of advancing one square or two. The Pawn does not capture the same way it moves, Pawns capture one square diagonally forward, to the right or left.
In the diagram above, the Pawns are in their original squares.
In the diagram above, Pawns have advanced either one or two squares from their original square.
In the diagram above, the White Pawn on d4 is attacking the Rook on c5 as well as the Pawn on e5. Pawns capture pieces one square diagonally forward, to the left or right.
Though the Pawn is the weakest of the chessmen, it has one power which enormously increases its value. This is the power of Pawn promotion. If a Pawn succeeds in reaching the eighth rank, it must be removed and replaced by a Queen or Rook or Bishop or Knight of its own color. This substitution is compulsory, not optional. The promotion is usually made to a new Queen, as the Queen is the most valuable piece.
In the diagram above, the White Pawn on c7 is about to be promoted once it reaches c8.
Capturing En Passant (In Passing)
This is a special capturing power of the Pawn. It applies only to the capture of a Pawn by a Pawn, in a specific situation. The two Pawn involved - a White Pawn and a Black Pawn - must be on adjacent files (next to each other). The Pawn that is to capture in passing must be on its fifth rank. The Pawn that is to be captured in passing must be on its (original) second rank
This is a special capturing power of the Pawn. It applies only to the capture of a Pawn by a Pawn, in a specific situation. The two Pawn involved - a White Pawn and a Black Pawn - must be on adjacent files (next to each other). The Pawn that is to capture in passing must be on its fifth rank. The Pawn that is to be captured in passing must be on its (original) second rank
In the diagram above, the Pawns are on adjacent files. The White Pawn is on its fifth rank; the Black Pawn is on its second rank. It is Black's turn to play.
Continuation of Capturing En Passant (In Passing)
If Black advances his Pawn two squares, leading to the position in the above diagram, White can, if he wishes, capture the Black Pawn as if it had advanced only one square. The resulting situation is shown in the diagram below.
The White Pawn captures the Black Pawn at f6. Remember, capturing in passing is optional: a player may capture in passing or not, as he pleases. But, if he wants to capture in passing, he must do it on the first opportunity. If he declines to make the capture immediately, the option disappears for good.
Special King Moves - Castling
A special move is available to enable you to get your King to a reasonably safe position. It is called castling and it is counted as a single move, although it involves a move of the King and one of his Rooks. The diagram below illustrates castling on the King side.
A special move is available to enable you to get your King to a reasonably safe position. It is called castling and it is counted as a single move, although it involves a move of the King and one of his Rooks. The diagram below illustrates castling on the King side.
The diagram above shows the King and Rook in the original position. The diagram below shows their position after a King-side castling.
The King moves to the g1 square and the Rook moves to the f1 square.
Castling on the Queen side involves the King moving to c1 square and the Rook moving to d1 square. as illustrated in the diagram below.
There are a number of restrictions connected with castling. The most important one to keep in mind is that you can castle only once during a game.. You can castle only when all the squares between the King and the Rook in question are empty. You cannot castle at all if your King has already moved. You cannot castle with a Rook that has moved; but you may be able to castle with the other Rook if it hasn't moved yet. You cannot castle in reply to a check. Castling is impossible if it would land the King on a square controlled by an enemy piece. Castling is impossible when it involves moving the King over a square controlled by an enemy piece.
Relative Value of the Men
Queen has a value of 9 points
Rook has a value of 5 points
Bishop has a value of 3 points
Knight has a value of 3 points
Pawn has a value of 1 point
Rook has a value of 5 points
Bishop has a value of 3 points
Knight has a value of 3 points
Pawn has a value of 1 point