How the king moves
The king moves one square in any direction: forward, backward, sideways or diagonally. In the middle of the board it has eight squares to choose from, in a corner only three. The king captures the same way it moves, one square in any direction.
The most important rule: never into check
A king that is attacked is in check. You may never make a move that puts your own king in check, and you may never leave it in check. So the king may not move to a square your opponent attacks, and it may not capture a piece that is protected.
For the same reason, the two kings can never stand next to each other: the one that stepped up would be putting itself in check. There must always be at least one square between them. When the kings face each other with one square between them, as here, it is called the opposition, one of the most important ideas in the endgame.
What is the king worth?
The king has no point value. It can never be traded off or captured, and the game ends the moment it is checkmated. So it is the most important piece on the board, and at the start of the game also the most vulnerable.
The king in the opening and in the endgame
In the opening and the middlegame the king should keep out of the way. The most common way to bring it to safety is castling, where the king moves two squares to the side and a rook jumps over it. A king left in the center when the lines open up usually has a hard time.
In the endgame the king changes roles. Once the queens and most of the other pieces are gone, there isn't much left that can hunt it, and it becomes a strong piece: it marches forward, protects its pawns and gobbles up your opponent's. A good rule of thumb is to bring the king forward as soon as the queens are traded.
Common mistakes
- Waiting too long to castle. A king in the center is an easy target.
- Moving the pawns in front of the castled king when you don't need to. Pawns can't go back, so the holes stay.
- Forgetting the king in the endgame. A king that stays in the corner when it should be in the fight is a piece you aren't using.
- Thinking the king may capture everything it reaches. Always check whether the piece is protected.
Try it yourself
Did you know?
- The word chess goes back, in the end, to the Persian shāh, king. So the whole game is named after this piece.
- Checkmate is usually traced to the Persian shāh māt, which roughly means that the king is helpless, or defeated.
- The king is the only piece that never leaves the board. It can't be captured, only checkmated.
- Castling is the only time the king moves two squares in one move.
Frequently asked questions
How does the king move in chess?
The king moves one square at a time in any direction: forward, backward, sideways or diagonally. It may never move to a square where it would be in check.
Can the king capture other pieces?
Yes, the king captures the same way it moves, one square in any direction. But it may not capture a piece that is protected, because it would then be putting itself in check.
Can the two kings stand next to each other?
No. There must always be at least one square between the kings. A king that stepped up to the other would be putting itself in check, and that isn't allowed.
How much is the king worth?
The king has no point value, because it can never be traded off. If your king is checkmated you have lost, however much else you have left.
Updated October 28, 2026