THE PIECES

King

• Role: The most important piece in chess.

• Movement: The king moves one square in any direction—vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

• Special Move: Castling is a special move involving the king and a rook, where the king moves two squares towards a rook on its original square, and that rook moves to the square the king crossed. Conditions for castling include: neither piece has moved before, no pieces between the king and the rook, the king is not in check, and the squares the king passes through are not under attack.

• Objective: The main goal is to protect your own king while trying to checkmate the opponent’s king. Checkmate occurs when the king is in a position to be captured ("in check") and there is no legal move to escape the threat of capture.

The game's ultimate objective revolves around the king; its safety is paramount.

Queen

• Role: The most powerful piece in the game.

• Movement: The queen can move any number of squares along a rank, file, or diagonal, combining the powers of the rook and bishop.

• Strengths: Its versatility and range make it the most valuable attacking piece.

Central to many attacks and defensive strategies due to its power and flexibility. 

Rook

• Role: A powerful piece, especially in open positions.

• Movement: The rook moves any number of squares along a rank or file.

• Special Move: Participates in castling with the king.

• Strengths: Rooks are particularly strong on open files and ranks and are crucial in endgames for their ability to control large areas of the board.

Vital in controlling open files and ranks, crucial in endgame scenarios for delivering checkmate. 

Bishop

• Role: A long-range piece that operates on the diagonals.

• Movement: The bishop moves any number of squares diagonally.

• Strengths: Each bishop controls squares of one color (light or dark). Bishops are effective in open positions and when working in pairs, covering both colors of squares.

Effective in long-range control and when paired to cover both color complexes.

Knight

• Role: A unique and versatile piece.

• Movement: The knight moves in an L-shape: two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicular, or one square in one direction and then two squares perpendicular.

• Strengths: Knights can jump over other pieces, making them powerful in closed positions where other pieces might be blocked.

Powerful in cramped positions, able to control squares that other pieces cannot reach. 

Pawn

• Role: The most numerous and weakest pieces, but with the potential to be promoted.

• Movement: Pawns move forward one square, but they capture diagonally. On their first move, pawns have the option to move forward two squares.

• Special Moves:

  • En Passant: If a pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position and lands beside an opponent’s pawn, the opponent can capture it as if it had only moved one square.

  • Promotion: When a pawn reaches the farthest rank from its starting position, it is promoted to any other piece (except a king), typically a queen.

• Strengths: Pawns control key squares, support other pieces, and have the potential to promote, becoming powerful assets in the endgame.

Forms the backbone of the position; pawn structure often dictates the strategic plans of the game.