How to castle in chess
Castling moves your king to safety and brings a rook into play in one move. Learn how to castle on both sides and when you’re not allowed to. Special moves · lesson 1 of 3.
The lesson in words
Castling is the only move where two pieces move at once. The king moves two squares towards a rook, and that rook jumps over to the square beside it.
It tucks your king away and brings the rook towards the centre.
To castle, move the king two squares. The rook follows by itself.
Try it: Castle on the king’s side: move the king two squares to the right.
You can also castle on the queen’s side, the long way.
Try it: Castle queenside: move the king two squares to the left.
Castle early in most games. Next: en passant.
Questions
Your king is in check. Can you castle to escape?
No. You can’t castle out of check. Move, block or capture instead.