THE BATTLEFIELD AND THE ARMIES

Welcome to the exciting world of chess.

Chess is a battle between two armies: the White Army and the Black Army.

You are the general in charge of one of the armies.

Have a look at your pieces.

First, there is the KING. In your chess set the King is the big guy with the cross on top. You should find two Kings in your chess set: a white one and a black one. In this book the Kings look like this:
K k

The other big piece, the one with a jagged edge, is the QUEEN. Again, your chess set should have one White Queen and one Black Queen. In this book the Queens look like this:
Q q

Now find the pieces which look like towers or castles. A lot of people call them castles but the real name for this piece is ROOK. Yes, I know that it looks like a castle, not a big black bird, but there you are. You’ll find two White Rooks and two Black Rooks in your set. The word ROOK comes from a Persian word meaning ‘chariot’. The Rooks were originally the chariots in the army. In our book the Rooks look like this:
R r

Next, look for the pieces with the round tops with a slit in them. These are BISHOPS. They are shaped like the hat worn by Bishops, which is called a mitre. Again, there are four Bishops in your set: two are white and two are black. Our Bishops look like this:
L l

You should also have some pieces looking like horses’ heads. These are KNIGHTS. A knight is someone who rides a horse into battle. There are two White Knights and two Black Knights in a chess set. Have a look at the Knights in this book:
N n

You should be left with a lot of little guys. These are called PAWNS. Not prawns, which are shellfish, but PAWNS. A pawn is a word for a peasant, a farmer, an ordinary person. The Pawns are the footsoldiers in your army. You should find eight White Pawns and eight Black Pawns in your chess set. This is what they look like in this book:
P p

Now, let’s look at the Chessboard. This is the battlefield on which the two armies fight each other.
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Can you count the rows and columns on the chessboard? There are eight rows and eight columns. Each row and each column has eight squares. How many squares are there in total? Eight times eight is SIXTY-FOUR squares.

The squares alternate between light and dark. We call the lighter colour squares WHITE SQUARES or LIGHT SQUARES and the darker colour squares BLACK SQUARES or DARK SQUARES.

The rows on the chessboard, going from left to right, are called RANKS. Each rank has a number. The lowest rank on the board has the number 1. It is the FIRST RANK. The top rank on the diagram has the number 8. The columns on the chessboard, going up and down, are called FILES. They each have letters, a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h. We call the files after their letters: the b-file, the e-file and so on.

Each square has a name made up of the LETTER of its FILE followed by the NUMBER of its RANK. The four corner squares are a1, h1, a8 and h8.

Look again at the diagram on the previous page.

You will see that there is a White square in the bottom right hand corner.

Before you set up the pieces and start a game of chess, always make sure you have a WHITE SQUARE in your RIGHT HAND CORNER.

Remember: WHITE ON THE RIGHT!
NOTE FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS:
If your board doesn't have letters and numbers round the side, write the letters a-h and the numbers 1-8 on pieces of sticky paper and stick them to the side of the board.
It really is important that all games start with a white square in the bottom right hand corner. (It's also very frustrating for me when I visit a school club and find half the boards the wrong way round.) Make sure that your children get into the habit of checking that the board is set up correctly in every respect before starting the game.
It also helps to set up the white pieces on the 1st and 2nd ranks and the black pieces on the 7th and 8th ranks. Unless you're writing your moves down it doesn't really matter but it's as well to get into the habit of getting it right now.
The guys in the corner are NOT castles: they are rooks. In chess circles, calling them castles is as big a faux pas as calling knights 'horses'.

Now we can set the pieces up for the start of the game.

Start by placing the two White Rooks in the corners nearest to you, on squares a1 and h1.

Next, place the White Knights next to them, on b1 and g1.

The Bishops go next to the Knights: on c1 and f1.

The White Queen goes on the d1 square.

The White King goes on the e1 square.

Finally, the White Pawns start in front of the pieces, on squares a2, b2, c2, d2, e2, f2, g2 and h2.

Your board should now look like this:
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2PzPPzPPzPPzP"
1tRNvLQmKLsNR!
xabcdefghy

Now, do the same thing with the Black pieces. Rooks in the corner. Knights next to the Rooks, Bishops next to the Knights, Queen on d8, King on e8 and pawns in front.

Your chessboard should now look like this:
XABCDEFGHY
8rsnlwqkvlntr(
7zppzppzppzpp'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2PzPPzPPzPPzP"
1tRNvLQmKLsNR!
xabcdefghy

How do you remember which way round the King and Queen go?

It’s easy. The Queen always starts on her own colour. The WHITE QUEEN starts on a WHITE SQUARE and the BLACK QUEEN starts on a BLACK SQUARE. The Queens always start on the d-file and the Kings start on the e-file.

Learning the names of the squares is learning the language of chess. It opens up a whole world of books and magazines for you to enjoy and learn from.

Now it’s time to do a quiz to check that you understand what you’ve learned so far.

Battlefield & Armies Quiz


Q1: What is this piece called? L
a) Rook b) Bishop c) Fool or d) Priest

Q2: What is this piece called? Q
a) Queen b) King c) Hedgehog or d) Monarch

Q3: What is this piece called? R
a) Knight b) Castle c) Tower or d) Rook

Q4: What is this piece called? P
a) Prawn b) Pawn c) Pond or d) King

Q5: What is this piece called? K
a) Ruler b) Crown c) Queen or d) King

Q6: What is this piece called? N

  1. Bishop b. Horse c) Knight or d) Gee-gee

XABCDEFGHY
8rsnlmkqvlntr(
7zppzppzppzpp'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2PzPPzPPzPPzP"
1tRNvLKwQLsNR!
xabcdefghy

Q7. Is this chessboard set up correctly?

If not, what’s wrong with it?

XABCDEFGHY
8trnvlqmklsnr&
7pzppzppzppzp'
6+-+-+-+-&
5-+-+-+-+%
4+-+-+-+-$
3-+-+-+-+#
2zPPzPPzPPzPP"
1RsNLmKQvLNtR!
xabcdefghy

Q8. Is this chessboard set up correctly?

If not, what’s wrong with it?
 XABCDEFGHY
8rvlnwqksnltr(
7zppzppzppzpp'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2PzPPzPPzPPzP"
1tRLsNQmKNvLR!
xabcdefghy

Q9. Is this chessboard set up correctly?

If not, what’s wrong with it?
XABCDEFGHY
8rsnlwqkvlntr(
7zppzppzppzpp'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2PzPPzPPzPPzP"
1tRNvLQmKLsNR!
xabcdefghy

Q10. Is this board set up correctly?

If not, what’s wrong with it?


Names of Squares Quiz
XABCDEFGHY
8-+N+-+-tR(
7tr-+-+l+-'
6-+k+-+-+&
5+-+-+-zp-%
4-sn-zP-+-+$
3+q+-+-+-#
2-+-+KvL-+"
1+-+-+-wQ-!
xabcdefghy

Q1. On which square is the White King?

Q2. On which square is the Black Pawn?

Q3. On which square is the Black Bishop?

Q4. On which square is the White Knight?

Q5. On which square is the Black Rook?

Q6. On which square is the White Bishop?

Q7. On which square is the White Queen?

Q8. On which square is the Black Knight?

Q9. On which square is the White Rook?

Q10. On which square is the Black King?

Q11. On which square is the White Pawn?

Q12. On which square is the Black Queen?

XABCDEFGHY
8R+-+-+-mK(
7+-+-vl-+-'
6-+q+-+-+&
5zp-+-+-sN-%
4-+-sn-wQ-+$
3+P+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+r+"
1+k+L+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q13. On which square is the White Rook?

Q14. On which square is the White Knight?

Q15. On which square is the Black Queen?

Q16. On which square is the White Pawn?

Q17. On which square is the Black Knight?

Q18. On which square is the White Queen?

Q19. On which square is the Black Rook?

Q20. On which square is the Black Bishop?

Q21. On which square is the Black King?

Q22. On which square is the White King?

Q23. On which square is the Black Pawn?

Q24. On which square is the White Bishop?

THE ROOK MOVE

Take your chess board and place a Rook on the e4 square, like in the diagram below.
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+R+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

The Rook move is easy to learn. It can move backwards, forwards and sideways: left and right, any number of squares in any direction. In this diagram the Rook can move up the board to e5, e6, e7 or e8, and down the board to e3, e2 or e1. It can move left to d4, c4, b4 or a4, or right to f4, g4 or h4.

Easy, isn’t it?
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-zp-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+P+R+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

The Rook can CAPTURE an enemy piece by landing on its square and taking it off the board. Here, the White Rook can CAPTURE the Black Pawn on e7. To make the move, place your Rook on e4 on e7 and remove the Black Pawn from the board. You have now CAPTURED (or TAKEN) the Black Pawn.

If you play draughts, remember that in chess you capture by landing on the square of an enemy piece, NOT by jumping over it.

In chess you can NEVER capture your own piece. The White Rook CANNOT capture the White Pawn on c4.

Rooks CANNOT jump over other pieces. If the Rook on e4 wants to move left it can only go to d4. It CANNOT capture the pawn on c4, and the White Pawn blocks its route to b4 or a4. The Rook CANNOT move to e8 either – that square is blocked by the Black Pawn on e7.

You will learn that looking for CAPTURES is one of the most important skills to learn to help you when you play chess. So in the next quiz for you to do is a ROOK CAPTURE QUIZ. See how many ROOK CAPTURES you can find.



ROOK CAPTURE QUIZ

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-tR-+-zp-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q1. On which squares can the White Rook make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8R+-+-+-sn(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q2. On which squares can the White Rook make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+R+-+r%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-tr-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q3. On which squares can the White Rook make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-zp-+-'
6-+-+P+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-tR-+P#
2p+-+-+-+"
1+-+-sn-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q4. On which squares can the White Rook make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-zp-+-+-'
6-+P+-+-+&
5zp-tR-+-+p%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-zp-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q5. On which squares can the White Rook make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+R+-+pzpp'
6-+p+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-zp-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q6. On which squares can the White Rook make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+pzpp'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-vl-+-+-#
2nsNl+-+R+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q7. On which squares can the White Rook make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+l+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5sn-+-tR-+p%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-vL-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q8. On which squares can the White Rook make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+n+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+l+$
3+ptR-+-+p#
2-+n+-vl-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q9. On which squares can the White Rook make a capture?


THE BISHOP MOVE

Take your chess board and place a Bishop on the e4 square, like in the diagram below.
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+L+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

The Rook, as you’ve seen, moves forwards, backwards and sideways. North, South, East and West. The Bishop moves DIAGONALLY forwards and backwards. North West, North East, South East and South West. In this diagram, the Bishop can move North West to d5, c6, b7 or a8. It can move North East to f5, g6 or h7. It can move South East to f3, g2 or h1, or South West to d3, c2 or b1.

What do you notice about all these squares? They’re all the same colour. When you play chess you start with one Bishop on a light square (f1 for White, c8 for Black) and one Bishop on a dark square (c1 for White, f8 for Black). Each Bishop stays on the same colour square throughout the game. If you find you’ve got two Bishops on the same colour square you’ve done something wrong.

When you move a Bishop make sure it moves straight along its diagonal, on the same colour square.

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+p+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+L+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+P+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Like the Rook, the Bishop captures the same way as it moves. In this diagram, the White Bishop on e4 can CAPTURE the Black Pawn on b7.

Again, like the Rook, the Bishop cannot jump over other pieces. The White Bishop in this diagram CANNOT move to c2 – because the White Pawn is there – or to b1.

Have a go at looking for BISHOP CAPTURES in the next quiz. Be careful to move straight along the diagonals.


BISHOP CAPTURE QUIZ
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-zp-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-vL-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q1. On which squares can the White Bishop make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-tr(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1vL-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q2. On which squares can the White Bishop make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7sn-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+L+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+n+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q3. On which squares can the White Bishop make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-sN-+-zp-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-vL-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-zP-+-+-#
2-tr-+-+p+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q4. On which squares can the White Bishop make a capture?
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+p+-zp-+-'
6-zP-+-+-+&
5+-vL-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3zP-+-+p+-#
2-+-+-zp-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q5. On which squares can the White Bishop make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+n+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+L+-+-+&
5+P+-+-+-%
4p+-+p+-+$
3+-+-+p+-#
2-+-+-+p+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q6. On which squares can the White Bishop make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-vln+-+-'
6-+n+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-vL-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+pzpp+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q7. On which squares can the White Bishop make a capture?
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+r+-+-+p'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+L+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+N+-+-+n!
xabcdefghy

Q8. On which squares can the White Bishop make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7zp-+-zp-+-'
6-+-+l+-+&
5+-vL-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3sn-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+r+"
1+-+-+rsn-!
xabcdefghy

Q9. On which squares can the White Bishop make a capture?


THE QUEEN MOVE

Take your chess board and place a Queen on the e4 square, like in the diagram below.
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+Q+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

If you know how to move a Rook and a Bishop then you also know how to move a Queen. The Queen can move forwards, backwards or sideways, like a Rook, or diagonally, like a Bishop. A Queen on any square away from the side of the board can move in EIGHT directions. Here, she can move to 27 squares – count them! She can go to d4, c4, b4 or a4, e5, e6, e7 or e8, f5, g5 or h5, e3, e2 or e1. She can also go to d5, c6, b7 or a8, f5, g6 or h7, f3, g2 or h1, d3, c2 or b1.
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+p+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+p+Q+P+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+P+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

In this position the White Queen can CAPTURE the Black Pawn on c5 or the Black Pawn on b7. She cannot move to b1, a8, b4, a4 or h4 by jumping over a Pawn. She cannot move to c2 or g4 – there are White Pawns on those squares and you cannot CAPTURE your own pieces.

When you do the Queen Capture Quiz, be very careful to look in all eight directions to see what you can CAPTURE.

Make sure you find EVERY capture before you move on to the next question.


QUEEN CAPTURE QUIZ
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+p+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+Q+-+p+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q1. On which squares can the White Queen make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8l+-+-+-tr(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1wQ-+-+-+n!
xabcdefghy

Q2. On which squares can the White Queen make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+p+-'
6-+-+-+p+&
5zp-+-+-+-%
4-+-wQ-+-zp$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-zp-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q3. On which squares can the White Queen make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+p+-+-'
6r+-zP-+n+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+P+Q+-+p#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q4. On which squares can the White Queen make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-+-+(
7zPQ+-+-sn-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+L+-+-zp-#
2-vl-+-zpp+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q5. On which squares can the White Queen make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+p+-+-zp-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3zpP+-+-wQp#
2-+-+-zP-zp"
1+-+-sn-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q6. On which squares can the White Queen make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+nvl-+-+(
7zP-+Q+pzpp'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4r+pzpp+P+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q7. On which squares can the White Queen make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-zp-+-sn-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-zP-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+n+-+-wQP#
2-+-+-+lzp"
1+-+-tr-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q8. On which squares can the White Queen make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-+-+-+(
7+-+-+p+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+p+-+-zp-%
4-vl-+-wQp+$
3+-+-+-zp-#
2-+-+-sn-+"
1+-sn-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q9. On which squares can the White Queen make a capture?


THE KING MOVE

Take your chess board and place a King on e4, like in the diagram below.
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+K+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

The King’s move is very easy to learn. It can move just one square in any direction. The King on e4 can move to d4, d5, e5, f5, f4, f3, e3 or d3.
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+P+-+-%
4-+-+K+-+$
3+-+-zp-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Here, the King can CAPTURE the Black Pawn on d3. He CANNOT move to d5 because there is a White Pawn there.


THE PAWN MOVE

This is a bit harder to understand than the pieces you’ve met so far. Set up your board with White Pawns on c2, f3 and h4, and Black Pawns on e4 and h5.
 XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+p%
4-+-+p+-zP$
3+-+-+P+-#
2-+P+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

A pawn’s usual move is one square forwards. No more than one square and in no other direction. So here the White Pawn on c2 could move to c3 and the White Pawn on f3 could move to f4.

But…

On its first move a Pawn can move forward TWO squares instead of one square. So the White Pawn on c2 could move either to c3 or to c4.

And…

Unlike other pieces, the Pawn does not capture the same way as it moves. It captures by moving DIAGONALLY ONE SQUARE FORWARD. So the White Pawn on f3 could CAPTURE the Black Pawn on e4. But the White Pawn on c2 CANNOT capture the Black Pawn on e4. It can MOVE two squares forward but cannot CAPTURE two squares diagonally forward.

The White Pawn on h4 cannot move at all. It CANNOT capture the Black Pawn on h5. It MOVES one square forward but CANNOT capture one square forward.

The En Passant Capture

There is one more special rule about Pawns called the EN PASSANT capture. (EN PASSANT is French for ‘in passing’.)

This is hard to understand so don’t worry if you don’t get it right first time.
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-zp-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+P+-+-+-%
4-+-+p+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-zP-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

It can happen if…

  1. You have a Pawn on your FIFTH RANK (If you are White, this is the RANK with the number 5 on your board, or if you are Black, the RANK with the number 4 on your board.) Here, White has a Pawn on his FIFTH RANK: on b5. Black also has a Pawn on his FIFTH RANK: e4.
  2. Your opponent moves a Pawn on the NEXT FILE TWO SQUARES FORWARD.

Now you can CAPTURE the Pawn as if it moved only ONE SQUARE FORWARD.

Let’s suppose it’s White’s move and he moves his Pawn on d2 TWO SQUARES FORWARD, to d4.

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-zp-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+P+-+-+-%
4-+-zPp+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Now Black can CAPTURE the Pawn on d4 when it PASSES the square d3. That leaves this position:
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-zp-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+P+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+p+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

If Black moves his Pawn from c7 to c5 at any time, White can, on his next move, take it when it PASSES the c6 square. White’s Pawn would move from b5 to c6 and the Black Pawn is removed from the board.

Note:

  1. You can only CAPTURE EN PASSANT the move after your opponent has moved his Pawn two squares.
  2. You can only capture A PAWN EN PASSANT, not any other piece.
  3. You can only capture EN PASSANT with A PAWN, not with any other piece.
NOTE FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS:
The pawn is the most understood of all pieces. It can move two squares on ITS first move, not just on the first move of the game. The EN PASSANT capture is important. It usually needs quite a lot of repetition before it is understood, but anyone who plays competitive chess at any level will be expected to know it.


KING AND PAWN QUIZ

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-sn-+-+$
3+-mK-+-+-#
2-+P+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q1. On which squares can the White King make a capture?
 XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+Q+r+-+-'
6-+Kvl-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+n+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+k+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q2. On which squares can the White King make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+PzpN#
2-+-+p+K+"
1+-+-+-+r!
xabcdefghy

Q3. On which squares can the White King make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+nmK(
7+-+-+pzpp'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q4. On which squares can the White King make a capture?
 XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+p+-+&
5+-+-zP-+-%
4-+pvlKsn-+$
3+-+-zPpzp-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q5. On which squares can the White King make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+r+-#
2-+-+P+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q6. Which squares can the White Pawn move to or capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+lzpq+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q7. Which squares can the White Pawn move to or capture?
 XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-zp-+-+$
3+-+-zP-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q8. Which squares can the White Pawn move to or capture?
 XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-trp+-+-+&
5+-zPp+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q8. Black has just moved his Pawn from d7 to d5. Which squares can the White Pawn move to or capture?


THE KNIGHT MOVE

Take your chess board and place a Knight on the e4 square, like in the diagram.
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+N+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

The Knight move is the hardest to understand but if you look at the diagram you’ll get the idea. It moves two squares like a Rook, then one square round the corner, to make the shape of a letter L.

A Knight in the middle of the board can move to eight squares. Here, they are c5, d6, f6, g5, g3, f2, d2 and c3. What do you notice about all these squares? They are all DARK SQUARES. A Knight always moves to a square of a different colour. A Knight on a light square must move to a dark square. And a Knight on a dark square must move to a light square.

If you put a Knight on a1 it can only move to two squares: b3 and c2. And a Knight on e8 can move to four squares: c7, d6, f6 or g7.

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+K+k+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-zp-+-+&
5+-+-+R+-%
4-+-zPNsn-+$
3+-tRp+-vl-#
2-+-+-wQ-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

There’s something else unusual about a Knight. It can jump over other pieces when it makes its move. Horses jump, don’t they? So it’s only right that, in chess, a knight should be able to jump. In this position the White Knight on c4 can move to c5, f6, g5 or d7, jumping over anything in its way. Knights CAPTURE the same way that they move, so the White Knight can CAPTURE the Black Pawn on d6 or the Black Bishop on g3. It CANNOT move to c3 or f7.

Now have a go at seeing how many Knight CAPTURES you can find in our next quiz.


KNIGHT CAPTURE QUIZ
XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-sN-+-+-%
4-+-+p+-+$
3+p+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q1. On which squares can the White Knight make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+l+$
3+-+P+n+-#
2-+-+-sN-+"
1+-+-+-+r!
xabcdefghy

Q2. On which squares can the White Knight make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+N+-+-+-'
6-+Ptr-+-+&
5+-zpp+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q3. On which squares can the White Knight make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+p+p'
6-+-+p+-+&
5+-+-+-sN-%
4-+-+p+-+$
3+-+-+p+p#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q4. On which squares can the White Knight make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+p+L+p+&
5+-zP-+-zP-%
4-+-+N+-+$
3+-zp-+-zp-#
2-+P+l+P+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q5. On which squares can the White Knight make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+p+-zp-+&
5vlnzpqtrlsn-%
4-+PzPP+-+$
3+-+N+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q6. On which squares can the White Knight make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+ltR-+-'
6-+-+PsN-+&
5+-+-+-zp-%
4-+-+-+r+$
3+-+-+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q7. On which squares can the White Knight make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+p+-+&
5+-+-zpp+-%
4-+-+pzpp+$
3+-+N+-+-#
2-+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

Q8. On which squares can the White Knight make a capture?

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+-+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+ptr-#
2-+-+-trlsn"
1+-+-+-vlN!
xabcdefghy

Q9. On which squares can the White Knight make a capture?