How to Move the Pieces

Chess.com Team

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Learn how all of the pieces move and how to set up a chessboard!

Are you learning the royal game? Do you want to play chess with a friend or family member? Then this course is for you! By learning the material in this course you will be ready to set up a board and play a game of chess!

Here is what you will learn:

How to set up a chessboard
What pawn promotion is and how to do it
The movement of every chess piece
How to checkmate and win the game!

The King and the Goal

Chess is an exciting game and easy to learn. It’s played on an 8x8 board with 64 squares and 32 pieces. The game is won by checkmating - trapping - the king. Although the king is the most important piece, it’s not the most powerful. The king can move to any square that’s directly next to it: up, down, sideways or diagonal.

1 min

5 Challenges

The Queen

The king is the most important piece in chess, but the queen is the most powerful. The queen can move forwards, backwards, sideways and diagonally like a king. However, unlike the king, the queen can move as far as it wants to in each of these directions. The only thing that the queen can’t do is jump over any pieces along the way.

1 min

5 Challenges

The Rook

The rook can move forwards, backwards and sideways like a queen. However, unlike the queen, the rook can't move diagonally.

1 min

5 Challenges

The Bishop

The bishop can move diagonally like a queen, but not forward, backwards or sideways. Each side starts with two bishops, one on a light square and one on a dark square.

1 min

5 Challenges

The Knight

The knight is the only chess piece that doesn't go in straight line. The knight moves two squares in one direction and then turns and goes one in another direction. For example, a knight could move up two and one to the left. The knight could also move two squares to the right and one square down. It always follows that two and then one pattern, which resembles an L. Another thing that makes the knight unique is that it's the only piece which is able to jump over other pieces.

1 min

5 Challenges

The Pawn

Typically pawns move one square forward each move. However, pawns have a couple of special features. A pawn can advance either one or two squares on its first move. Additionally pawns don't capture the way that they move. Pawns can only capture a piece that is one square diagonally ahead. Pawns are also the only piece that can only go forward.

2 min

5 Challenges

Pawn Promotion

When a pawn reaches the end of the board it promotes, which means it turns into another piece. You can promote to a knight, bishop, rook or queen. Since queens are the most powerful piece, that is by far the most common choice.

1 min

5 Challenges

Setting Up the Board

Now that you know how the pieces move, it's time to set up and start the game. Each player starts with a light square in the lower right hand corner. Rooks are placed in the corners, with knights next to them, followed by bishops. Kings and queens are placed in the center squares of the back rank with the queen on her own color. All White pawns start on the 2nd rank and all Black pawns start on the 7th rank.

2 min

8 Challenges

Lessons

How to Move the Pieces

: How to Play
: Beginner
: 8 Lessons
: 10 Minutes
: 43 Challenges
: Released October 18, 2018
: 3,566,749 Students