Chess 101: The King Chess Piece

July 25, 2011
Tags: Chess 101, Learning Chess Articles

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)