How the king moves in chess
A free lesson from My Chess Family for children learning chess. Read it together, try each question on a real board, or print it out.
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One step at a time
This is the king. He is the most important piece of all.
The king moves just one step, any way he likes.
Try it 1. Point to every square the king can move to.
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d5, e5, f5, f4, f3, e3, d3, d4
Try it 2. Walk the king to the star!
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3 moves: Kd2, Kd3, Ke4
Try it 3. Now collect all the stars.
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4 moves: Kc2, Kd3, Ke4, Kf3
Try it 4. Which piece is the king? A: 
B: 
C: 
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B: the white king
Keep him safe
The king must never step where an enemy piece could catch him.
Try it 5. Point to every square where the king is safe.
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e5, f5, f4, f3, e3
Try it 6. Walk the king to the star. Keep away from the bishop's lines!
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3 moves: Kd2, Kd3, Ke4
Well done! The king is slow, so keep him safe. Next you'll meet the knight.
King practice
Time to practise with the king!
Try it 7. Walk the king to collect all the stars.
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4 moves: Kd2, Ke3, Kf4, Kg3
Try it 8. New position. The rook is watching a whole row. Point to every square where the king is safe.
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d3, e3, f3, d4, f4
Here's a new position. The king can catch pieces too, but only ones nobody guards. Here the pawn on g5 guards the pawn on f4.
Try it 9. So capture the pawn that nobody guards!
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Kxd4
Well done! The king caught the pawn, and nothing can catch him back.
Next: How the knight moves in chess
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