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The last piece to discuss on the chess board is the King piece. This piece is the game winner. Once you lose your King, the game is over, and your opponent wins, regardless of the score. The King chess piece is the piece you must protect the most and you cannot live without. Many experienced players, though may find themselves utilizing their king in an attempt to gain an advantage over an opponent, something weaker chess players are very leery of doing. No matter how you choose to use your King piece, he must stay alive at all costs.
How A King Chess Piece Moves
King chess pieces are somewhat limited in their movement. They cannot go riding across the chess board as quickly as most other pieces and they are easier to contain than most chess pieces from an opponent’s perspective. Here are a few rules to note:
- The king piece can move one single square in any direction.
- The king cannot move onto a square the is currently occupied by a piece from it’s own team.
- The king piece cannot move to any square that puts them into a “check” position.
- The king piece can participate in a move known as “castling”, where the piece can move up to three squares while exchanging places with a rook chess piece.
Basic Tactics
Safety first, is the motto most chess players abide by when moving and using their king piece. Experienced players can use their king piece to help set traps and capture opposing pieces, though the King is rarely the aggressive piece in this situation. Most players try to keep their king piece in one of their two corners where there are fewer directions from which an attack can come. Often, castling with a rook piece early in the game gets the King piece to the corner faster, keeping the piece safer from attacks.
Favorite Chess Sets
Here are some chess sets that feature unique or interesting King piece designs:
Pegasus Ebony Wood Chess Pieces ($559.99)
Premier Chess Pieces ($18.99)
Cavalier Ebony Wood Chess Pieces ($449.99)
St. Petersburg Wood Chess Pieces ($89.99)
Zagreb Rosewood 2.5″ Chess Pieces ($44.99)
Considered the most dangerous and versatile piece on the board, the Queen chess piece is also one of the most important. Unless you are an expert chess player, losing your queen piece can easily be the final blow before falling to your opponent. Most players are willing to sacrifice just about any other piece on the board in order to save their queen. So why is the queen so important?
How A Queen Chess Piece Moves
The queen chess piece is like a combination of the Rook and Bishop chess pieces. Each player starts out with one queen piece (although any pawn that makes it to the other side of the board can be traded in for another queen, which is why some chess sets come with extra queens). The queen can move forward or diagonal in any direction. Here are a few notes:
- The queen can move in any direction on a straight or diagonal path.
- The queen cannot “jump” over any piece on the board, so it’s movements are restricted to any direction of unoccupied squares.
- The queen can be used to capture any of your opponent’s pieces on the board.
Basic Tactics
Most players try to keep their queen defended because of it’s ability to move. It is a very useful piece in any chess game and is often involved in endgame strategy. Experts try to get the queen piece toward the center of the board as soon as possible in order to help defend that space and gain an advantage over their opponent. The queen can be used in a variety of defensive strategies and works well to defend the King no matter where the King is on the board, so long as the queen is nearby. The most dangerous piece to a queen is the opponent’s knight pieces. The queen may not be able to attack a knight piece directly that is attacking the queen, so players try to be wary of their opponent’s knight pieces. Advanced players may be more likely to sacrifice their queen in an attempt to win a game, though this is quite rare.
Favorite Chess Sets
The queen piece is often a very beautiful chess piece and in more expensive sets, it may feature a very beautiful crown and piece shape.
St. Petersburg Sheesham Chess Pieces ($109.99)
Zagreb 3″ Ebonized Chess Pieces ($59.99)
Fianchetto Ebony Chess Pieces ($279.99)
Siogne Bud Rosewood Chess Pieces ($289.99)
If you’ve ever been shopping for a chess clock, it can be hard to choose between digital chess clocks and analog chess clocks. Both types of clocks have their own unique advantages, making the choice even more difficult. Here are a few tips:
Analog Chess Clocks
Often, analog clocks are the first types of chess clocks you may be familiar with. Analog Chess Clocks traditionally feature two separate clock faces in the same chess clock, one for each player. The most basic ones feature two buttons at the top for each player to press. With analog clocks, you typically set the time on each clock individually.
Analog clocks are short on features but huge on style. These clocks often have little more than an ability to turn each face on and off and a way to set the clocks. Some chess clocks feature a wind-up design, freeing you from batteries. Others have batteries inside, freeing you from constantly winding your chess clock.
With analog clocks, it’s all about looks. Analog clocks can be very beautiful and offer a greater range of styles. Clocks are often manufactured in elegant woods with interesting patterns. Clock faces are designed to match and these clocks look just great.
Digital Chess Clocks
These clocks are more about utility and accuracy than analog clocks. Digital chess clocks are available in simple to advanced models. The higher the price, the more features and the better the quality. Digital chess clocks often have many different buttons and the user must learn how to operate each type of clock.
Features, features features. Digital clocks are pre-programmed to work as chess clocks, but can do so much more. Digital clocks often have dozens of different timing modes, giving you and your chess game much more variety in types of games to play. Chess clocks can handle blitz modes, delays and more.
When making your decision, make sure you consider why you are buying a chess clock. Analog chess clocks may not be able to withstand the abuse of a school chess program or have the accuracy required for a true chess tournament. Digital chess clocks may just look tacky when you pull out your beautiful rosewood or oak chess set to play your old friend. No matter which clock you choose, though, chess clocks can sure make your chess game more fun and improve your abilities as a chess player.
Digital Chess Clocks
Analog Chess Clocks
Chronos Chess Clocks
BHB Chess Clocks
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