King moves in chess: one square, and the squares he cannot touch

The king moves one square in any direction: up, down, sideways or diagonally. That is the whole move, apart from castling. What makes the king different from every other piece is the restriction that comes with it: he may never step onto a square an enemy piece attacks. Tap the white king on d4 below and his eight squares appear. The rest of the set is on chess pieces names and moves.

How does the king move?

One square, in any of the eight directions. From the middle of the board that is eight destinations, on the edge five, in a corner three. Distance is the one thing the king does not have, which is why moving him across the board takes real time.

He captures the same way he moves. Step onto a square holding an enemy piece, take the piece off, stand there. The only condition is that the square has to be safe afterwards.

The king himself is never captured and never leaves the board. When he is attacked that is check, and the player must answer it by moving him, blocking the attack or taking the attacker. When there is no legal answer it is checkmate and the game ends, which is what check and checkmate is about.

The king cannot move into check

Attacked squares are off limits whether or not anything is on them. The rook above is nowhere near the king and it still takes three squares away from him, so look at the lines an enemy piece controls rather than where it happens to be sitting.

The rule works in the other direction too. You may not make any move that leaves your own king under attack, which is why a piece standing between your king and an enemy rook or bishop is pinned: it looks free and cannot move. The board here never offers an illegal move, so you cannot walk into one by accident.

Can a king kill a king?

No, and the reason is the rule above. Every square next to a king is a square that king attacks, so stepping onto one would be moving into check. The two kings get within two squares of each other and no closer, and neither is ever taken off the board.

That gap matters in endgames. Two kings facing each other with one square in between is called the opposition, and whoever is not on the move usually holds it. It is the tool that gets a lone pawn promoted.

Can a king take a queen?

Yes, as long as she is not defended. A queen standing next to your king is always giving check, because she attacks every square around her. Taking her answers that check, and it is the best answer when nothing is guarding her.

If something is guarding her, the capture is illegal rather than just bad. Your king would be standing on an attacked square the moment he arrived, so the move is never offered. That is the trick behind a queen sacrifice next to a king: one defender makes her untouchable.

Castling: the one time the king moves two squares

Castling is the one exception to the one-square rule. The king slides two squares towards one of his rooks and that rook jumps over him to the square he crossed, all in a single move. It is the fastest way out of the middle and it brings a rook into the game. Four conditions apply, with a board for each on castling in chess.

The king in the endgame

For most of a game the king hides. Once the queens and most of the pieces are gone that flips. With little left to attack him he becomes a fighting piece, about as useful as a knight or a bishop, and the player who marches him towards the middle first usually wins the pawn race.

It is a hard habit to pick up, because everything before the endgame teaches you to keep him tucked away. A king in the centre stops enemy pawns from running and escorts your own to the far end. Leaving him in the corner in a king and pawn endgame throws away half your army.

Frequently asked questions

Now play it

Play 2 player chess offline on one device or play chess online with a friend.