#Chess pieces chess pieces names how to
#Chess pieces chess pieces names full

When castling, you simultaneously move your king, and one of your rooks. If there is another piece directly in front of a pawn he cannot move past or capture that piece.Ĭastling is a special type of chess move. They can never move or capture backwards. Pawns can only capture one square diagonally in front of them. Pawns can only move forward one square at a time, except for their very first move where they can move forward two squares. Pawns are unusual because they move and capture in different ways: they move forward, but capture diagonally. Knights are also the only pieces that can move over other pieces. Knights move in a very different way from the other pieces – going two squares in one direction, and then one more move at a 90 degree angle, just like the shape of an “L”. Each bishop starts on one color (light or dark) and must always stay on that color.

The bishop may move as far as it wants, but only diagonally. The rook may move as far as it wants, but only forward, backward, and to the sides. And, like with all pieces, if the queen captures an opponent's piece her move is over. She can move in any one straight direction - forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally - as far as possible as long as she does not move through any of her own pieces. The king may never move himself into check (where he could be captured). The king can only move one square in any direction - up, down, to the sides, and diagonally. The king is the most important piece, but is one of the weakest. Pieces are generally moved into positions where they can capture other pieces (by landing on their square and then replacing them), defend their own pieces in case of capture, or control important squares in the game. However, they can be moved to take the place of an opponent's piece which is then captured. Pieces cannot move through other pieces (though the knight can jump over other pieces), and can never move onto a square with one of their own pieces. Black has one major piece, the queen.Each of the 6 different kinds of pieces moves differently. White has two major pieces, the two rooks. Q1: How many major pieces are on the board in this position? How many does White have? Black?Ī1: There are three major pieces on the board. (Neither of the minor pieces is capable of this.) Test

It's also worth noting that a single major piece (either queen or rook) and a king will always be able to force checkmate against a lone king. Black lost the queen but has an extra rook, an extra bishop, and an extra pawn.

All of these are general rules and not always the case, however. The queen is much better than one rook, slightly better than one rook and one minor piece, and usually worse than one rook and two minor pieces, or two rooks and one minor piece. three minor pieces rarely happens, but the value would depend on which group is working better together. A queen is usually far superior to two minor pieces.Ī rook is way behind three minor pieces, while a queen can be worth more or less than three minor pieces depending on the position. Generally, however, a rook is inferior to two minor pieces. GM Garry Kasparov captured the light-squared bishop (a minor piece) with his rook (a major piece), thus sacrificing the exchange. Intentionally giving up a rook for a minor piece to try and gain a different advantage is known as sacrificing the exchange. Regarding the major pieces, two rooks are worth about the same as a queen.Īs implied by being a major piece, the rook is usually worth more than either of the minor pieces.

#Chess pieces chess pieces names how to

Knowing how to properly value the pieces is an important part of playing chess. White and Black both get one queen and two rooks. The major pieces highlighted at the beginning of the game. One major piece is enough to checkmate a lone king, while one minor piece is not. To get right to it, the names of all the chess pieces are the King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight, and Pawn.

#Chess pieces chess pieces names full

The major pieces are the only ones that can move a full rank or file on a single turn. But what is a major piece if it's not on the list? And why is the concept of major pieces important? Read on to find out.Ī major piece is a collective term for queens and rooks, as opposed to the weaker bishops and knights, which are known as the minor pieces. There are six pieces in chess: the king, queen, rook, bishop, knight, and pawn.