Foundations
The King & Check
The most important piece
The idea
The king moves one square in any direction. He can't move into a square attacked by an enemy piece. When the king is attacked, it's CHECK — you must get out of check immediately. There are three ways: move the king, block the attack, or capture the attacker. If none of those work, it's checkmate and the game ends.
Example 1 of 2
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A central king reaches all 8 adjacent squares.
Example 2 of 2
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Your white king on d4 is in check from the rook on d1. He must move off the d-file.
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Try it
Your move
Your king is in check from the rook. Escape it.
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