The Goal

The goal of chess is to Checkmate the opponent's King. This means the King is under attack and has no way to maximize safety.

The Pieces

• The King ♔: Moves one square in any direction. Valuable but weak.
• The Queen ♕: The most powerful piece. Moves any number of squares in any direction (straight or diagonal).
• The Rook ♖: Moves any number of squares in a straight line (horizontal or vertical).
• The Bishop ♗: Moves any number of squares diagonally. One bishop stays on white squares, the other on black.
• The Knight ♘: Moves in an 'L' shape (2 squares one way, 1 square perpendicular). The only piece that can jump over others.
• The Pawn ♙: Moves forward one square (or two on its first move). Captures diagonally forward.

Special Moves

• Castling: A defensive move involving the King and Rook.
• En Passant: A special pawn capture rule.
• Promotion: When a pawn reaches the other side, it can become a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight.