What Is Castling in Chess? Explained for Kids

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Castling is a special move that a king and a rook make together. It is the only move in chess in which two pieces move at the same time, and it does two good things at once: it tucks the king into safety and brings the rook towards the middle.

How to castle

Move the king two squares towards one of the rooks, then put that rook on the square the king just jumped over.

• Short castling (kingside): for White, the king goes from e1 to g1 and the rook from h1 to f1.
• Long castling (queenside): for White, the king goes from e1 to c1 and the rook from a1 to d1.

Black castles the same way on the eighth row. Always move the king first; in tournaments, touching the rook first can count as a rook move.

When you are allowed to castle

All of these must be true:

1. Neither the king nor that rook has moved yet in the game, not even once and back.
2. Every square between them is empty.
3. The king is not in check right now.
4. The king does not pass through or land on a square that an enemy piece attacks.

The rook, on the other hand, may pass through an attacked square; only the king's path matters.

Why castle?

In the middle of the board the king is easy to attack. After castling it sits behind a wall of pawns, and the rook is ready to join the game. That is why most good players castle within the first ten moves or so.

For parents

Children often think castling is not allowed after a check earlier in the game. It is: what matters is only whether the king is in check now, and whether the king or that rook has already moved.