How the king moves
Updated
The king moves one square in any direction: forward, backward, sideways or diagonally. It can never move onto a square where it would be in check, and once per game it may castle with a rook. Trap it so it can’t escape and the game is over.
How the king moves
Tap the white king on e4. The rook covers the 3rd rank and the black king guards f4 and f5, so only three squares are safe.
The king moves one square in any direction: forward, backward, sideways or diagonally. It is slow, but it has one rule no other piece has: it may never move into check. Any square an enemy piece attacks is off limits, which is why on the board above only three squares are safe.
The same rule means the two kings can never stand next to each other. Each king attacks every square around it, so stepping beside the other king would be moving into check. There is always at least one square between them.
How the king captures
The king captures exactly the way it moves, one square in any direction, but only if the piece it takes is not protected. Capturing a defended piece would put the king in check, so it is not allowed.
Special rules for the king
Getting out of check
When your king is attacked you must deal with it at once, in one of three ways: move the king to a safe square, block the attack by putting a piece in the way, or capture the attacking piece. If none of them is possible, it is checkmate. If you are not in check but have no legal move at all, it is stalemate, a draw. More on that in checkmate vs stalemate.
Castling
Once per game the king may castle: it moves two squares toward one of its rooks, and that rook hops over to the square on the king's other side. It is the only time the king moves more than one square. You can't castle if the king has already moved, or out of, through or into check.
Common beginner mistakes
- Leaving the king in the middle. Once the centre pawns move, a king on e1 or e8 is exposed. Castling early tucks it away behind a wall of pawns.
- Moving the king early “just because”. A single king step, even if it comes straight back, costs you the right to castle for the rest of the game.
- Keeping the king hidden in the endgame. Once the queens are gone, an active king is a strong piece. March it toward the centre and the pawns.
The bot who loves to castle
Professor Hoot likes to get his king safe with an early castle, and he will remind you to do the same: “Check. Do consider your king safety.” Play him to practise keeping your king out of trouble against an opponent who rarely gives anything away.
What the king is worth
The king has no points value: it can never be traded or captured, and if it is checkmated the game is lost. In the endgame, with fewer pieces left, it becomes a useful fighter in its own right.
The usual scale: pawn 1 · knight 3 · bishop 3 · rook 5 · queen 9. When it misleads:chess piece values.
Questions people ask
- Can a king capture a piece?
- Yes, one square away like any king move, but only if that piece isn’t protected. Taking a protected piece would put your king in check, which isn’t allowed.
- Can the two kings stand next to each other?
- No. A king would be moving into check from the other king, so there is always at least one square between them.
- Can the king ever move two squares?
- Only when castling: the king moves two squares toward a rook and the rook jumps over it.
- What do I do when my king is in check?
- Get out of check straight away: move the king, block the attack with another piece, or capture the attacker. If none of those works, it is checkmate.