How Chess Pieces Move: A Beginner's Guide
Each chess piece moves its own way. The rook moves in straight lines, the bishop diagonally, the queen in any straight or diagonal line, and the king one square in any direction. The knight jumps in an L shape over other pieces, and the pawn moves forward one square (two on its first move) but captures diagonally.
The basics that apply to every piece
- You move one piece per turn. White moves first.
- No piece except the knight can jump over others. If something is in the way, the line stops there.
- You capture by moving onto a square occupied by an enemy piece, which is removed from the board. You can never land on your own piece.
- Every piece except the pawn captures the same way it moves.
- You can never make a move that leaves your own king in check.
Each player starts with 16 pieces (32 in total): 1 king, 1 queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights and 8 pawns. If you haven't set the board up yet, see how to set up a chess board.
In the diagrams, green dots show where the piece can go from its square.
The rook
The rook moves any number of squares in a straight line: forwards, backwards, left or right. It can't move diagonally. Rooks are strongest on open columns (files) with no pawns in the way, and two rooks working together on the same row or column are a powerful team.
The bishop
The bishop moves any number of squares diagonally. Because it only moves diagonally, a bishop stays on the same colour all game: each side has one light-squared and one dark-squared bishop.
The queen
The queen combines the rook and the bishop: she moves any number of squares in a straight line or along a diagonal. That makes her the most powerful piece on the board. Beginners often bring the queen out early, but she's easy to chase around, so it usually pays to develop your knights and bishops first.
The king
The king moves one square in any direction. It's the most important piece: if your king is in check and can't escape, that's checkmate and the game is over. A king can never move to a square attacked by an enemy piece, so the two kings can never stand next to each other.
Once per game the king can also castle, moving two squares towards a rook while the rook jumps over it. The conditions are explained in castling, en passant and stalemate.
The knight
The knight moves in an L shape: two squares in a straight line and then one square to the side (or one and then two). It's the only piece that can jump over other pieces, so it doesn't matter what's in between, only that the landing square isn't one of your own pieces.
A handy pattern: a knight always lands on a square of the opposite colour to the one it started on. Knights are strongest in the middle of the board, where they reach eight squares; in a corner they reach only two.
The pawn
The pawn is the simplest piece with the most special rules:
- It moves straight forward one square, never backwards or sideways.
- On its first move only, it may move forward two squares instead.
- It captures diagonally, one square forward to the left or right. It can't capture straight ahead, so a pawn blocked by a piece directly in front of it is stuck.
- When a pawn reaches the far end of the board it promotes: you swap it for a queen, rook, bishop or knight of your colour (almost always a queen). You can promote even if you still have your original queen.
- There's one more special capture, en passant, covered in our guide to castling, en passant and stalemate.
What each piece is worth
To judge trades, players use a rough point scale. It's a guideline rather than a rule (a well-placed knight can be worth more than a buried rook), but it stops you giving away a rook for a bishop by accident.
| Piece | Moves | Usual value |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn | Forward 1 (2 on its first move), captures diagonally | 1 |
| Knight | L shape, jumps over pieces | 3 |
| Bishop | Any distance diagonally | 3 |
| Rook | Any distance in a straight line | 5 |
| Queen | Any distance, straight or diagonal | 9 |
| King | One square any direction | Can't be traded: losing it loses the game |
Check, checkmate and how you win
When a piece attacks the enemy king, the king is in check, and the player must get out of check on their next move by moving the king, blocking the attack or capturing the attacker. If there's no way out, it's checkmate and the attacker wins. Kings are never actually captured.
Ready to try? On GameLake you tap a piece and its legal moves light up, which is a quick way to learn the moves for real. To see a fast checkmate in action, read how to win chess in 4 moves.
Frequently asked questions
How many pieces are in chess?
32 in total. Each player has 16: 8 pawns, 2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops, 1 queen and 1 king.
Which chess piece is the most powerful?
The queen, because she can move any distance in a straight line or diagonally. The king is the most important piece, since losing it loses the game.
Can a knight jump over pieces?
Yes. The knight is the only piece that can jump over other pieces, of either colour.
Can a pawn move backwards?
No. Pawns only move forward. They capture diagonally forward, and when they reach the last row they promote to another piece.
Can the king capture?
Yes, the king can capture an enemy piece on any square next to it, as long as that piece isn't protected, because the king may never move into check.