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Welcome back. Perhaps you'd like to tell me what you'd like me to call you this lesson.
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Do you remember the EN PASSANT rule and understand all the SINGLE and DOUBLE COMBAT games, kiddo?  I can win them all by choosing the right colour I don't understand all the SINGLE COMBAT games I understand the SINGLE COMBAT games but not the DOUBLE COMBAT games I don't remember the EN PASSANT rule |
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In that case you're ready to start learning about the other pieces in your army. First, we're going to look at the ROOK. The ROOK is the chariot in your army. You will remember that it looks like a tower or a castle but we always call it a ROOK. 
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This is what a ROOK does. It moves backwards, forwards or sideways as far as it likes. These are the squares it can move to on an empty board. Count them: there are 14. Anywhere you put the ROOK on the board it can move to 14 squares. Good, isn't it? Much better than a PAWN!
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Unlike the PAWN, the ROOK captures in the same way as it moves. In this position the ROOK can CAPTURE either the Black pawn on b4 or the Black pawn on e5. The ROOK cannot jump over other pieces. In this position the White pawn stops the ROOK moving beyond f4. Note also that if the ROOK moved to d4 or f4 it would be CAPTURED by the Black pawn on e5, so those moves would not be safe. Easy, isn't it? Let's see how much you can remember.
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How many squares can the rook move to in this position?
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How many different pawns could the rook capture in this position?
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Which pawn can the rook capture this move?
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Which pawn can the rook capture SAFELY this move?
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Suppose you're playing a game of CAPTURE THE FLAG and you want to kill the black pawn. What should you do? The easiest answer is to move to f7 to ATTACK the pawn from behind. Then you'd be able to CAPTURE him next move. Another idea would be to move to c2 so that you'll be able to take him when he moves to f2. But it wouldn't be such a good idea to move to c3 to ATTACK the pawn along the RANK. Then he could move to f2 to evade the attack.
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As always you have to be VERY CAREFUL to look at what your opponent's doing.
Take this position, for example. If you're White you COULD take the pawn on c7, but then Black would move his pawn from b2 to b1 when it turns into a QUEEN. As you can't take the queen you lose the game. Do you see what else you could do? If you move the rook to d1 instead you'll win the game. Black can move his pawn to the end again, but this time you'll be able to take it with your rook. Then you'll be able to take the last black pawn and win. |
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Now look at this position. You'll see that the pawn on d4 is attacking the black rook. If it's White's move his best move would be to CAPTURE the black rook. If it's Black's move he has to think what to do with his rook. He could CAPTURE the pawn on e3. Would that be a good idea? No, it wouldn't because White would in turn CAPTURE the rook with his pawn on f2. And, as you probably realise, rooks are more powerful than pawns.
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The idea of ATTACKING an enemy piece is very important in chess. Sometimes, when you ATTACK an enemy piece it can move to safety. But sometimes it can't. Sometimes you get the chance to threaten two enemy pieces at the same time. When this happens your opponent will probably only be able to save one of the two pieces. In this position White has just moved his rook to e4, attacking both black pawns. Whichever pawn Black chooses to move, White will capture the other one.
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When you attack two enemy pieces like this it's called a FORK. It's a weapon with two (or more) prongs which you can use to attack two or more enemies at the same time. In this position the white PAWN is FORKING two black ROOKS. If Black moves the rook on c5 White will be able to take the rook on e5 next move. And if Black moves the rook on e5 White will be able to take the rook on c5 next.
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A similar weapon is a SKEWER. A FORK attacks two pieces in DIFFERENT directions. A SKEWER attacks two pieces in the SAME direction. In this position White can move his rook to g6. This will ATTACK the pawn on c6. If this pawn moves forward to escape the attack, White will be able to capture the pawn on b6 instead.
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The FORK is a weapon you will use a lot in your battles. You'll also use the SKEWER as well, although not all pieces can use it. A ROOK can use both a FORK and a SKEWER. A PAWN can only use a FORK because it can only capture by moving one square.
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Are you ready to answer some more questions, kiddo? Yes, I understand how to use ROOKS I'd like to see the last part of the lesson again It's not fair. You're always making me answer questions |
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For the next few questions you're going to have to use the keypad again to enter the name of the square you want to move to. Remember: enter the letter of the square followed by the number, then press ENTER to get your answer marked. Take your time. Stop and think carefully before answering each question.
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It's White's move. Which square should he move his rook to?
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It's White's move. Which square should he move his rook to?
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Where should White move his rook to FORK Black's pawns?
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Where should White move his rook to SKEWER Black's pawns?
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Where should White move to FORK Black's rooks?
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Congratulations, Kiddo!! You have now completed the ROOK lesson. 
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After this lesson you'll be able to play some more games of CAPTURE THE FLAG, but this time with ROOKS as well as PAWNS. We're now adding an extra rule. You may already have noticed that when you get a pawn to the end it turns into a queen. This is what (usually) happens when you play a full game of chess. Our new rule is that if your opponent gets a pawn to the end you have one move in which to capture it. You now have to make a move with your QUEEN in order to win the game. A QUEEN moves like a ROOK but it also moves diagonally, which, as you'll find out next lesson, is like a BISHOP.
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You'll soon be able to move on and take the part of a different soldier in the army. But first you and I are have some more battles to fight. When you've completed these assignments you'll be able to learn about the other pieces. Awesome! I'm ready to take you on! I'd like to play Fishy again first I'd like to repeat the lesson first please I'll do it later if you don't mind - I have to go now I'm too stupid to learn about the other soldiers |
