Chess pieces

The pieces you use to play chess.

Showing 1-6 of 6

A pawn in chess is the smallest game piece. There are more pawns than any other type of piece, and they can move one square at a time, or two as their first move.
The chess piece knight moves in an L-shape: two squares one way and then one square across, or two across and then one up or down. It can jump over other pieces.
In chess, a bishop moves diagonally on the board. Each bishop stays on the same color squares for the whole game.
In chess, a rook moves in straight lines across a board, either up and down or side to side. It cannot move diagonally. The rook starts in the corners of the chessboard, and is usually shaped like a castle.
The queen piece in chess can move in all directions - up, down, left, right, and diagonally. It can go any number of squares as long as there are no pieces in the way. It is often the most valuable piece.
The king in chess is the most important piece in the game. It can move one square at a time in any direction.

The king must be protected, because the game ends when a king is in check and cannot escape.