Is castling important?

My cousin castled once and got checkmated on the very next move, so I'm never going to castle again. EVER!

Castling is for fat, drumstick-eating, icky old kings who tremor like a chihuahua behind three pawns & a merlon. They're so scared they jump two places in utter fear !

Pleez....quit being nice to them and stop treating them w/ respect.

Now. Go & leave them out in the middle for a good shroud & flogging.

I feel like giving up castling for lent because the mindless attackers on this site seem to find it wherever it is and it just wastes a move.

i don't bother castling unless i need the rook on another file. i wouldn't castle into a situation that will give my opponent a mating attack like the last guy would, don't see the point of playing if you are just going to let your king get ransacked.

It means you are doing it wrong! There is nothing wrong with the iphone app which I use every day.

All i can say to this question is... lol?

Garry K once quasi-castled into #....they say. I wish I oculd find the game. I think he was playing black.

Castling is a special move because it moves your king into the corner (where it's safer) by 2 steps, where a king can only move 1 step per turn. 

It also allows the rook to move as well, in that turn, but not only that, to "jump" over the king, which it cannot do, and activate to a central file. 

This means that castling is a one-turn move, but can essentially be 3-4 moves of "useful" moves. 

Of course, the moves are not always useful, but very often they are, especially in open positions. 

Of course it's important when the King is left in the center it's unsafe it's a very big target any time anywhere from any direction an opponent can launching devastating blows and sacrifices you won't expect or see coming K.O boom it can happen very fast never castling at all is suicide smart players don't play with fire.

Someone should publish a study of how many championship games are won with or without castling and then break it down into kingside and queenside.  

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwjjBT5pHEAaXl_hNblli1w

Lesson 1 explains it all

Oka castling isn't always important and also because it could be a bad position and it would be dangerous

This game above has nothing to do with castling. Black played Bd7 and then h6 and g5 weakening his King terribly. Not because he castled but because he removed his pawn cover to his king. A simple move like a6 instead Bd7 and Bg5 can never do much because you cannot play Nd5... Simple really

Some of these comments crack me up. 

Here's a good argument against Castling...

As the legendary Kasparov told, if you don't know what your are doing, you should castle. Kasparov's advice to beginner is to always castle.

Jambyvedar is absolutely right. My link to Magnus killing Gates was actually a joke. If you are the top player on the planet, you can get away with what he did. If you have to ask then castling is a must.

Castling is good because

It lets your king into safety.

You should also move your pawns up during the endgame.It helps because a rook all the way comes and put checkmates you.

I always castle every time I play win some and draw some