When you trap the King of your opponent, it is the checkmate. Similarly, when under check in which no piece is there to defend him or he does not have any squares to advance to, then checkmate occurs. One is to find a piece to defend him and the second is to move to a safer square. When he is under check, he has two options. If your King falls or comes within the attacking range of any of the opposite pieces, then we consider that the King is under check.

You should not allow your King’s capture. It efficiently avoids any threat that comes his way. However, he can only move a single square at a time. Whether it’s forward, backward, or sideways, he can move in all directions. The King’s movement is unique as he wants to proactively avoid threats. When the game commences, the King occupies his place on the first rank of the e-file, on the right side of the Queen. Hence his value is immeasurable or infinite.Įach side has a King. We do not have any numerical value attached to the King. The player’s strategies revolve around the protection of the King. Thus, it amounts to a total of 32 pieces. That means each player has eight pawns, one King, one Queen, two Rooks, two Bishops, and two Knights. The Names of Chess PiecesĮach player has 16 pieces. When it comes to chess, the basic starts with getting familiar with the names of the pieces. Yes! Building a strong foundation before embarking on any journey is inevitable for positive outcomes.

Chess pieces and names