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♟️ Meet the Chess Pieces
Every chess game begins with an army of 16 pieces per side. From the soul of the game, the Pawn, to the decisive power of the Queen, understanding how these pieces interact is the foundation of all strategy.
🔥 Move Insight: Knowing how pieces move is step one. Knowing where they belong is step two.
Pawn
Value: 1
The foot soldier. Pawns move forward one square at a time, but they capture diagonally.
Special: On their very first move, they can march forward two squares.
Special: On their very first move, they can march forward two squares.
💡 Tip: Pawns are the "Soul of Chess". Use them to control the center and open lines for your other pieces.
Knight
Value: 3
The tricky jumper. Knights move in an "L-shape" (two squares one way, then one square to the side).
Special: They are the only piece that can jump over others!
Special: They are the only piece that can jump over others!
💡 Tip: Knights love the center of the board. An "Octopus" Knight (shown above) controls 8 squares!
Bishop
Value: 3
The sniper. Bishops move diagonally as far as they want.
Note that a Bishop always stays on the color it started on (you have one for light squares, one for dark).
Note that a Bishop always stays on the color it started on (you have one for light squares, one for dark).
💡 Tip: Don't block your Bishops with your own pawns. They need open diagonals to be effective.
Rook
Value: 5
The heavy artillery. Rooks move horizontally or vertically as far as they want (like a '+' sign).
They are powerful but often enter the game late.
They are powerful but often enter the game late.
💡 Tip: Rooks love "Open Files" (columns with no pawns). Put them there to dominate the board.
The Queen
Value: 9
The ultimate power. The Queen combines the powers of the Rook and Bishop. She can move in any direction, as far as she wants.
💡 Tip: She is your most valuable attacker, but don't bring her out too early or she will get chased around!
The King
Value: ∞
The VIP. The King moves one square in any direction. He is not very fast, but he is precious.
If your King is checkmated, the game is over.
If your King is checkmated, the game is over.
💡 Tip: Safety first! Use "Castling" early in the game to tuck your King safely into a corner.
📊 Quick Reference
| Piece | Value | Movement Pattern | Best Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pawn | 1 | Forward (1 or 2 steps), Capture Diagonal | Promotion potential |
| Knight | 3 | L-shape jump | Jumping over pieces |
| Bishop | 3 | Diagonals | Long-range sniping |
| Rook | 5 | Rank & File (+) | Controlling open files |
| Queen | 9 | Any direction (Star) | Overwhelming power |
| King | ∞ | One square any direction | The game depends on him |
🎯 Beginner Chess Guide
This page is part of the Beginner Chess Guide — A structured step-by-step learning path for new players covering chess rules, tactics, safe openings, and practical improvement.
📖 Beginner Chess Topics Directory
This page is part of the Beginner Chess Topics Directory — A structured index of beginner chess topics — rules, tactics, openings, common mistakes, and practical training resources.
Also part of: Essential Chess Glossary