How Do Chess Pieces Move: A Beginner's Guide

Chess is an incredible game that has been enjoyed by players around the world for centuries. It combines elements of critical thinking, logic, psychology, and strategy to produce a real sport of the mind. While it can take a lifetime to master, the great news is that even a complete novice can learn to play in a relatively short space of time.

Thanks to online games like 247 Chess, you can hone your skills against the computer starting with 'easy' matches before progressing to more difficult settings. One of the first questions you must ask, though, is "How do chess pieces move?"

With six different types of pieces and a total of 16 pieces per player, understanding the roles and movements of each is vital. This quick guide will reveal all.

Understanding Chess Piece Basics

Before looking at the individual moves of each piece on the chess board, it is important to familiarize yourself with the different pieces and where they should be placed when setting up your game. Here's all you need to know;

• Pawns: As the lowest-ranked pieces on the board, Pawns are worth just one point. Each player starts with eight Pawns, starting across row 2 for White and row 7 for Black. This means they start as a line of defense in front of the other pieces.
• Bishops: Bishops are minor pieces, valued at three points. Each player starts with two Bishops, starting in positions C1 and F1 for White and C8 and F8 for Black. Bishops look like a clergyman's hat, although this may vary in themed games like Xmas Chess.
• Knights: Knights are also minor pieces worth three points, and are depicted as a horse's head. Each player starts with two. For White, the Knights start in positions B1 and G1. For Black, they begin from squares B8 and F8.
• Rooks: Rooks are the second most powerful pieces on the board, which is why they are worth five points in scoring. Each player starts with two. For White, Rooks begin from squares A1 and H1 while Black's Rooks start from A8 and H8. Rooks are commonly depicted as a castle.
• The Queen: The Queen is the most powerful piece on the board and is worth nine points in scoring. The Queen starts in square D1 for White and D8 for Black.
• The King: The King is the most important piece on the board as defeating the opponent's King is how you win the game. The King starts in position E1 for White and E8 for Black.

The Unique Moves of Each Piece

Understanding the role, value, and starting position of each chess piece is one thing. However, knowing where they move is essential for building an attack or defense. Let's take a closer look at the move set of each piece:

Pawns

In addition to being the lowest-ranked piece, Pawns are the most restricted. They can only move in towards the opponent's side of the board and may never move backward or diagonally. Generally, Pawns move one space forward at a time. However, each Pawn may move two spaces for its first move. So, the White Pawns can move from row 2 to row 4 while Black Pawns may move straight from row 7 to row 5.

Pawns may take opponent pieces by moving one space diagonally toward their opponent's side of the board. For example, a White Pawn in C4 could take a Black piece in B5 or D5. However, this Pawn is not allowed to capture a piece occupying C5.

Bishops

Bishops are characterized by diagonal movements. They can move as many or as few places as they like unless they capture an opponent's piece or become blocked by one of their friendly pieces. Bishops can move forwards or backwards and to the left or right, as long as each move is made diagonally. So, a Bishop in the middle of the board could move in four directions and move multiple spaces until they hit another piece or the end of the board.

It should be noted, though, that Bishops are not allowed to move horizontally or vertically. Due to the exclusively diagonal movement, Bishops will never switch from Black squares to White squares or vice versa. So, each player will have one Bishop on each of the two colors.

Knights

Knights are unique pieces that have a distinct move set that differs from any other piece on the board. A Knight will move two spaces in one direction (horizontal or vertical) and one space in the other. This ultimately creates an 'L' shape in which the Knight moves three spaces away from its starting position. Moreover, Knights are the only pieces that may jump over other pieces (both friendly or enemy) en route to their destination squares.

The Knight's L-shaped movement can occur in any direction and means it always lands on a square of the opposite color. So, a Knight occupying F5 could move to C4, C6, D3, D7, F3, F7, G4 or G6. The Knight may also put the opposing King in Check or Checkmate even if there are pieces between them.

Rooks

Rooks are very useful pieces that, like Bishops, are unrestricted in terms of how many spaces they can move, meaning they can move anywhere between one and seven spaces. Rooks will have to stop if blocked by a friendly piece or when they capture an enemy's piece. However, instead of moving diagonally, they move either horizontally or vertically in straight lines. So a Rook sitting in A1 can move anywhere alone row 1 or column A.

The Rook is a valuable piece that can help build attacks or lend great defensive support to your King. it may land on the same color of square on which it started, or move onto a square of the opposite color.

The Queen

Queens are the most powerful piece on the board and ultimately combine the moves of the Rook with the moves of the Bishop. In other words, it may move unrestricted in any of the eight directions (two horizontal lines, two vertical lines, or four diagonal lines). It can move as little as one space or as far as the other end of the board - as long as it doesn't capture an opponent or hit a friendly piece along the way.

Keeping the Queen in play makes a huge difference, meaning you will normally sacrifice another piece if it means keeping the Queen active, although there are some exceptions. Finding the right balance between freeing up the Queen and keeping it protected is essential.

The King

While the King may be the key piece, its movement is limited to just one space at a time, which is why you must take extra care to protect it. The one exception to this rule is Castling (see below) in which the King can move either two or three spaces in a single play. Unlike Pawns, though, the King is allowed to move in all directions - horizontally, vertically, and diagonally.

In other words, if the King is unblocked by other pieces, it can move into any of the eight squares surrounding it. Kings are also allowed to capture an opponent's piece if it is in one of those eight squares. However, the King may not do this (or make any other move) if it will subsequently put them in Check.

Special Moves in Chess Explained

In addition to the moves detailed above, beginners should learn the special moves of Chess, which can be used in standard Chess or themed games like Valentine's Chess. The three you should know are;

• Pawn Promotion: When a player gets a pawn to the other end of the board (row 8 if playing as White; row 1 if playing as Black), they can promote the pawn to any other piece except the King. Generally, then, this means you can get a second Queen on the board, thus giving you a far greater shot at success.
• Castling: This is the one move where you can move two pieces simultaneously. If there are no pieces between the King and Rook on row 1 (White) or row 8 (Black), you can move the King into the square where the Knight started while also moving the Rook into the square where the Bishop started. The move can be completed with the Kingside Rook (short, King moves two spaces) or Queenside Rook (long, King moves three).
• En Passant: When an opponent's pawn moves two spaces for its first move and lands next to one of your pawns, your pawn can take the piece by moving into the square where the opponent would have been had it only moved one space. So, if the pawn at B2 moves to B4, a pawn currently in C4 could take the opponent by moving into B3. This move can only be used directly after the opponent's piece has moved two spaces.

Strategy Tips for Chess Beginners

As a beginner, simply playing more often will help you get to grips with each piece and its moves. Still, the following tips should help you progress a little quicker;

• Learn some classic starting moves.
• Prioritize your Queen and don't develop it too early.
• Gain control of the board's central area.
• When trading pieces, sacrifice your lowest-ranked option.
• Avoid moving the same piece (except pawns) two moves in a row.

Once again, though, the best thing you can do is play. Get started with 247 Chess now.

DISCLAIMER: The games on this website are using PLAY (fake) money. No payouts will be awarded, there are no "winnings", as all games represented by 247 Games LLC are free to play. Play strictly for fun.