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The king is the most important piece in chess: the whole game is about trapping the other player's king. He is not the strongest piece, though. He moves slowly and needs protecting.
How the king moves
- One square in any direction: forwards, backwards, sideways or diagonally.
- He can capture an enemy piece next to him, as long as that piece is not protected.
- He may never move into check. The king can never step onto a square that an enemy piece attacks.
- Two kings can never stand next to each other, because each would be attacking the other.
Once per game, the king can also make a special move with a rook, called castling.
Check and checkmate
When the king is attacked, he is in check, and the player must get out of it on the very next move. If there is no way out, that is checkmate and the game is over. The king is never actually captured.
The king's two jobs
- At the start: hide. While there are many pieces on the board, the king is safest behind his pawns, usually after castling.
- At the end: fight. When only a few pieces are left, the king becomes a strong attacker and defender, and should walk towards the middle of the board.
For parents
A good first king game: each side has a king and three pawns, and the goal is to promote a pawn. It teaches that the king can attack and defend, and that two kings may never touch.