Chess Pieces and How They Move

Each chess piece moves in its own way. On the diagrams, a dot marks a square the piece can move to.

King

One square in any direction. The king can never move into check. Once a game, together with a rook, it can castle (see the rules).

The king steps one square any way.

Queen (9)

Any distance along a rank, file or diagonal: a rook and a bishop in one. The strongest piece.

From d4 the queen reaches 27 squares.

Rook (5)

Any distance along a rank or file, as long as nothing is in the way. Rooks love open files and the seventh rank.

The rook always reaches 14 squares on an empty board.

Bishop (3)

Any distance diagonally. A bishop stays on its starting colour all game, so each side has a light-squared and a dark-squared bishop. The pair together is a real advantage.

The bishop on d4 controls both long diagonals.

Knight (3)

An L: two squares one way and one square to the side. It jumps over anything in between and always lands on the other colour. Knights are strongest in the centre ("a knight on the rim is dim").

Eight squares from the centre, only two from a corner.

Pawn (1)

Forward one square, or two from its starting square. It captures one square diagonally forward, and can't capture straight ahead.

The d4 pawn can go to d5 or capture on c5 or e5; the f2 pawn can go one or two squares.

Two pawn specials:

En passant: right after an enemy pawn steps two squares and lands beside your pawn, you may capture it as if it had moved one.
Promotion: a pawn reaching the last rank becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight.

What the pieces are worth

Pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9. Use these to judge trades: giving a rook for a knight (an "exchange") usually loses two points. They're rules of thumb; a well-placed piece can be worth more.

Play chess now and try each piece out.

Frequently asked questions

How does the knight move in chess?

In an L shape: two squares in one direction and then one square at a right angle, or one then two. It's the only piece that jumps over others, and it always lands on a square of the other colour.

Can pawns move backwards?

No. Pawns only move forward: one square, or two from their starting square, and they capture one square diagonally forward.

Which chess piece is the most powerful?

The queen, worth about nine pawns. The king is the most important (lose it and you lose the game), but as a fighting piece it moves only one square.

Last updated 2026-10-19