You now know how all the pieces move.
The next thing to learn is how to WIN a game of chess.
You remember how the King moves? Just one square at a time in any direction.
The King may not seem a very strong piece but in fact it’s the most important piece in your army.
You win a game of chess by reaching a position where the enemy King will, whatever he does, be taken next move.
This is called CHECKMATE.
Look at this position.
White has just moved his Rook to a8. The Rook is now ATTACKING the Black King. When you play a move that ATTACKS the enemy King you must say "CHECK" to warn your opponent that his King is under attack.
If you are IN CHECK you MUST get out of check if you can. If you CANNOT get out of check it is CHECKMATE.
There are three ways you can try to get out of check. You can CAPTURE this piece that’s CHECKING you. You can MOVE your King to a safe square. If you are in check from a Queen, Rook or Bishop you can BLOCK the check by moving a piece in the way, to a square in between the checking piece and your King.
Let’s look at a few positions and see how this works.
Again, White has just moved his Rook to a8. What does he say? "CHECK!" Black cannot capture the Rook. He cannot put another piece in the way. Can he move his King to a safe square?
The King CANNOT move to f8 or h8: he will still be in check from the White Rook.
He CANNOT move to f7 or g7: that would leave him in check from the White King.
NOTE THAT TWO KINGS CAN NEVER STAND NEXT TO EACH OTHER.
But he CAN – and MUST move to h7, the only safe square.
In this position the Black King CANNOT move to f8 or h8 because of the White Rook. He CANNOT move to f7, g7 or h7 because of the White King. But Black has two ways to get out of check. He can CAPTURE the Rook with his Bishop on c6 or he can move the Bishop to e8 to BLOCK the check. Which one would be the better move?
Do you see how Black can get out of check in this position? That’s right. He can BLOCK the check by moving his Rook from f1 to f8.
In this position Black CANNOT move his King to a safe square. He CANNOT capture the Rook. He CANNOT block the check.
What’s happened? It’s CHECKMATE. White has won the game.
Here’s a CHECKMATE position with two Rooks.
The Black King cannot move sideways to f8 or h8 because of the White Rook. He cannot move forwards to f7, g7 or h7 because he would be IN CHECK from the White Rook on b7.
Black has no piece to CAPTURE the Rook on a8 or to BLOCK the check. It’s CHECKMATE. Again, White has won the game.
Now you can find out how much you know about Rook checks and checkmates by doing a Rook Check Quiz.
Q1. Show how White can get out of check. Q2. Show how White can get out of check. Q3. Show how White can get out of check. Q4. Show how White can get out of check. Q5. Show how White can get out of check. Q6. Show how White can get out of check. Q7. Show how White can get out of check. Q8. Show how White can get out of check. Q9. Show how White can get out of check.
NOTE FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS:
If your opponent makes a move that leaves his King in check, either by overlooking a check or by moving into a check, you CANNOT win the game by taking your opponent's King. Instead, you must ask him to go back and play another move instead.
Many young players, reasonably enough, find this very hard to understand. If they're allowed to take any other piece, why not the King as well? It's not easy to explain to them that not only have they NOT won the game by taking their opponent's King, they have in fact played an illegal move (in response to their opponent's illegal move) by doing so.
Situations where one player has been in check for some time, or where both players are in check, frequently happen in games between beginners who have not yet developed their sight of the board.
Children should be encouraged to look out for checks in their games (though they will soon learn that not all checks are good moves) and to say 'Check' loudly and clearly to warn their opponent when they play a check.
ROOK CHECK QUIZ
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The best piece for getting CHECKMATE is the QUEEN.
The Queen can get CHECKMATE just like a Rook:
A slightly different CHECKMATE looks like this:
The Black King cannot go to c1, c2 or e1 because of the White Queen. He cannot go to d2 or e2 because of the White King.
A different sort of Queen CHECKMATE looks like this:
The Queen stops the Black King from moving to g4, h4, g6 or h6. The White King DEFENDS the Queen.
REMEMBER, two Kings cannot stand next to each other.
You can also get checkmate in a corner like this:
We call the sort of checkmate in the last two diagrams the KISS OF DEATH. The White Queen kisses the Black King. It’s a poisoned kiss so the Black King dies. But the Queen has to have someone holding her hand. In these two examples the King is holding the White Queen’s hand.
Here, it’s the Rook.
Here it’s the Bishop.
Here it’s the Knight.
And here it’s the Pawn.
Now for a quiz to check what you know about Queen checks.
This one’s like the Rook Check quiz. In each question you have one way of getting out of CHECK. It might be to MOVE your King to a safe square, to CAPTURE the checking piece, or to BLOCK the check.
QUEEN CHECK QUIZ
Q1. Show how White can get out of check.
Q2. Show how White can get out of check.
Q3. Show how White can get out of check.
Q4. Show how White can get out of check.
Q5. Show how White can get out of check.
Q6. Show how White can get out of check.
Q7. Show how White can get out of check.
Q8. Show how White can get out of check.
Q9. Show how White can get out of check.
You’ll find the next quiz a bit harder.
In each question you are White and have to find the one move which CHECKMATES Black.
Here’s how to go about it.
Look at EVERY check – there might be quite a lot.
Look very carefully to see whether Black can:
Take your time and be very careful.
QUEEN CHECKMATE QUIZ
Q1. Show how White can get checkmate.
Q2. Show how White can get checkmate.
Q3. Show how White can get checkmate.
Q4. Show how White can get checkmate.
Q5. Show how White can get checkmate.
Q6. Show how White can get checkmate.
Q7. Show how White can get checkmate.
Q8. Show how White can get checkmate.
Q9. Show how White can get checkmate.
It’s Black’s move in this position. What’s happening?
Is he in CHECK? No!
Can he move anywhere? His King cannot move to g8, g7 or h7 because of the White Queen. He has no other pieces to move. What can he do?
This sort of position, where you are NOT in CHECK but you CANNOT move any of your pieces without moving into CHECK is called STALEMATE.
STALEMATE is a draw. Nobody wins and nobody loses.
Here’s another STALEMATE position with the Queen:
And here’s a STALEMATE position with a Rook:
If you’re winning a game you must try to avoid positions like this. Try to get CHECKMATE and WIN the game instead.
In the next quiz we’ll ask you whether the positions are CHECK, CHECKMATE or STALEMATE. Look carefully at ALL the pieces on the board before you write down your answer.
NOTE FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS:
1. 'Stalemate' is often used incorrectly as a general word for a draw. It isn't. It's only this specific type of draw.
2. It's NOT stalemate if you have another piece you can move. Stalemate is a position where you are not in check but have no legal moves with ANY of your pieces, not a position where your King has no legal moves.
CHECK, CHECKMATE, STALEMATE QUIZ
Q1. It’s White’s move. Is this CHECKMATE? YES / NO
Q2. It’s White’s move. Is this CHECKMATE? YES / NO
Q3. It’s White’s move. Is this STALEMATE? YES / NO
Q4. It’s White’s move. Is this STALEMATE? YES / NO
Q5. It’s White’s move. Is this CHECKMATE or STALEMATE?
Q6. It’s White’s move. Is this CHECKMATE or STALEMATE?
Q7. It’s White’s move. Is this CHECK or CHECKMATE?
Q8. It’s White’s move. Is this CHECK or CHECKMATE?
Q9. It’s White’s move. What’s the result of the game?
There’s just one more move you need to learn before you know the moves of all the pieces.
CASTLING is a special move with both King and Rook.
In this rule the King moves two squares towards the Rook and the Rook jumps over the King, landing on the next square.
You can CASTLE on the KING SIDE or the QUEEN SIDE. (The Queen side is the a, b, c and d files: the side of the board where the Queens start. The King side is the e, f, g and h files: the side of the board where the Kings start.)
In this position White has CASTLED KING-SIDE and Black has CASTLED QUEEN-SIDE.
When you CASTLE KING-SIDE your King finishes on g1 or g8 and your Rook on f1 or f8.
When you CASTLE QUEEN-SIDE your King finishes on c1 or c8 and your Rook on d1 or d8.
You CANNOT CASTLE if:
It doesn’t matter if you’ve BEEN IN CHECK earlier in the game, as long as you haven’t moved your King.
Look at this diagram.
White CANNOT castle King side: he will be moving INTO CHECK from the Bishop on c5.
White CAN castle Queen side: it doesn’t matter that the Rook crosses the b1 square which is attacked by the Bishop on f5.
Black CAN castle King side: it doesn’t matter that his Rook is attacked by the Bishop on c3.
Black CANNOT castle Queen side: his King would move THROUGH CHECK: it would have to cross the d8 square which is attacked by the Queen on d2.