How kings move
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The king moves to any adjacent square forward, backward, left, right or diagonally.

The king cannot move into check, even to checkmate the opponent’s king or to produce a stalemate.

Castling


Castling is a single move involving two chessmen: a king and a rook.

The king moves two squares towards the rook, and the rook moves to the square crossed by the king.

Castling is a move of the king. Touch the king first. If you touch the rook first, you cannot castle on that side, and must move the rook alone if you have a legal move with that rook.

You cannot castle after you have moved your king.

You cannot castle with a rook after you have moved that rook, but you can still castle with the other rook if you have not moved it.

You cannot castle if your king is in check.

You cannot castle into check.

You cannot castle if the square the king is to cross is attacked by one or more of your opponent’s chessmen.

That is, you cannot castle out of, into or through check.

You cannot castle with a king and a rook if there is any chessman between them.

If your king has been in check during the game, this does not prevent castling now, provided your king is not now in check.

An opponent’s chessman attacking the corner square occupied by the rook does not prevent castling with that rook. An opponent's chessman attacking the square next to the rook on the queen’s side does not prevent castling on the queen’s side.

Castling on the king’s side

BLACK
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
8
8
7
7
6
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
WHITE

Above: Before castling on the king’s side. Note that the attack by the opponent’s bishop does not prevent castling.

BLACK
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
8
8
7
7
6
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
WHITE

After castling.

Castling on the queen’s side

BLACK
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
8
 Black rook on white square Black king on white square
8
7
 Black pawn on white square Black bishop on black square Black bishop on white square
7
6
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
 White pawn on black square White bishop on white square White bishop on black square
2
1
 White rook on black square White king on black square
1
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
WHITE

Before castling on the queen’s side. Note that the attacks by the bishops are on the rook’s square and the square the rook is to cross, but castling is not prevented.

BLACK
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
8
 Black king on white square Black rook on black square
8
7
 Black pawn on white square Black bishop on black square Black bishop on white square
7
6
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
 White pawn on black square White bishop on white square White bishop on black square
2
1
 White king on black square White rook on white square
1
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
WHITE