How the king moves in chess
The king moves one square in any direction and can never move into check. Learn the king’s moves and the one rule it must always follow. How the pieces move · lesson 6 of 8.
The lesson in words
The king moves one square in any direction.
It’s the most important piece: if your king is trapped, you lose the game.
A king in the middle of an empty board has 8 squares.
Try it: Tap every square the king can move to.
The golden rule: a king can never move into check, onto a square an enemy piece attacks. Here the black rook controls the whole d-file.
Try it: Tap every square the king can move to now.
Keep your king safe: if it’s trapped, you lose. Next: the pawns.
Questions
Can the white king move to d4?
No. A king can never stand next to the other king, because it would be moving into check.