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Learn chess

Chess Pieces

Learn how each piece moves, what it is worth, and what job it does.

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Queen

9 pts

The queen is the most powerful piece on the chessboard, able to move any number of squares in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally).

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Rook

5 pts

The rook is a powerful piece that can move any number of squares along a rank or file (horizontally or vertically). It cannot move diagonally.

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Bishop

3 pts

The bishop is a long-range piece that can move any number of squares diagonally. Each player starts with two bishops, one that moves on light squares and one that moves on dark squares.

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Knight

3 pts

The knight is a unique piece that moves in an L-shape: two squares in one direction (horizontal or vertical) and then one square perpendicular to that. It can jump over other pieces, making it a versatile piece for both offense and defense.

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Pawn

1 pt

The pawn is the most numerous piece in the game and has the most limited movement. It moves forward one square, but captures diagonally. On its first move, a pawn can move forward two squares. If a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board, it can be promoted to any other piece (except a king).

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King

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The king is the most important piece in chess. The objective of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king, which means putting it under attack with no legal moves to escape. The king can move one square in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). It cannot move into check (a square attacked by an opponent's piece).