Chess Terms for Kids

The pawn moves forward one square, two on its first move, and captures diagonally. The rules, the special pawn moves and a first game to play with your child.

The knight moves in an L shape and is the only piece that can jump. How it moves, why it always changes colour, and a simple game to practise it with kids.

The bishop moves diagonally as far as it likes and stays on one colour all game. How it moves, how to use it well and a practice game for kids.

The rook moves in straight lines, up, down and sideways, and is worth five points. How it moves, how to use it and a rook-against-pawns game for kids.

The queen moves like a rook and a bishop together and is the strongest piece. How she moves, where she starts and why not to bring her out too early.

The king moves one square in any direction and may never move into check. How he moves, check and checkmate, and his two jobs in a game, explained for kids.

Check means the king is attacked. The three ways out (move, block, capture), the rules children forget, and when giving check is a good idea.

Checkmate wins the game: the king is in check with no way out. How to tell, the famous mating patterns, and the difference from stalemate.

Stalemate: no legal move, but the king is not in check, so the game is a draw. The difference from checkmate and how kids can avoid it when winning.

Castling moves the king and a rook together. How to castle on either side, the four conditions that must be true, and why players castle early.

En passant is a special pawn capture after a two-square pawn move. When it is allowed, how to do it, and an example on the board, explained simply.

A pawn that reaches the end of the board becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight. The rules, which piece to choose, and why promotion decides endgames.

A fork is one piece attacking two at once. How forks work, why the knight is the fork champion, and how kids can find forks and avoid them.

A pin stops a piece from moving because a more valuable piece stands behind it. Absolute and relative pins, how to use them and how to escape.

A skewer attacks a valuable piece so that the piece behind it is lost. How it works, how it differs from a pin, and how to find skewers.

One piece moves away and uncovers an attack by the piece behind it. How discovered attacks and discovered checks work, with an example on the board.

A double check attacks the king with two pieces at once, so the only way out is to move the king. How it happens and why it is so strong.

A checkmate along the back row, with the king trapped by its own pawns. How it happens, how to avoid it with "luft", and how to use it to win.

Pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9: the chess piece values, how to use them to judge trades, and when a piece is worth more than its points.

Stalemate, not enough pieces, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule and agreement: the five ways a chess game ends in a draw, explained for kids.