They can move both forward and backward, but cannot jump over pieces: You can learn more about good and bad bishops next.īishops move in a diagonal, as many squares as you like. Bishops keep their color throughout the whole game and you will hear most chess players refer to them as the “light-squared bishop” or “dark-squared bishop”. We start the game with two bishops, each placed on a square of a different color.

Next on our list, in the order of their value, are the bishop and the knight, which are equal as value, and they are each considered to be worth 3 points or pawns. The most common choice for such a promotion is a queen – the most powerful piece on the chessboard – and it will replace the lucky pawn (we will remove the pawn from the board and place the queen on the exact same square the pawn was on): If any of our pawns reach the last rank, then we have the right to replace it with any piece we like. One of the most amazing features of the pawns is that they can turn into any other piece (except the king) if handled correctly. The pawns on the A-file, however, are blocked and cannot advance any further. In the diagram above we can see that the white pawn on g3 can capture the black knight on f4 and so it will move one square in a diagonal. If an enemy piece is placed in front of our own pawn, then that pawn is blocked and will only be able to move once that piece has vacated the square it is on or when it will have some other piece to capture in diagonal: Pawns can capture in diagonal (again, moving only one square in that direction) and never forward. When the pawns meet enemy pieces on their way, things change. The pawns on e4 and c5, however, can only advance one square at a time from now on. Here, we can see that all the pawns on the 2nd and 7th rank still keep the option of advancing one or two squares at a time. This can only happen once for each pawn during the game – when they leave from their starting position.

They advance one square at a time, except for their first move when you have the option of advancing them 2 squares. (If you often do not know what chess move to play, you must read this next.) The pawns can only move forward and can never go backward – an important point to remember when deciding to advance one. However, you will learn in time that they can be very powerful and, just like an army of skilled soldiers in a battle, open the way for the rest of the army towards the opponent’s king.

I’m going to start the presentation in ascending order.Ĭonsidered to be the least valuable piece on the chessboard, the pawn is worth only 1 point. One thing to remember from the very beginning is that pieces have different values. How chess pieces move? Once you’ve learned all there is to know about the chessboard and rules of chess, it’s time to see how those figurines you’ve just arranged on their starting squares move.

Chess pieces moves for kids