Chess pieces
Each chess piece moves in its own pattern and has its own personality on the board. Here's how all six work — what they're worth, where they thrive, and where they struggle.
Starting position
The six chess pieces at a glance
Each player begins with sixteen pieces of six types. Knowing how each one moves is the foundation of everything else in chess.
| Piece | Symbol | Quantity | Value | Letter (notation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | ♚ | 1 | Priceless | K |
| Queen | ♛ | 1 | 9 | Q |
| Rook | ♜ | 2 | 5 | R |
| Bishop | ♝ | 2 | 3 | B |
| Knight | ♞ | 2 | 3 | N |
| Pawn | ♟ | 8 | 1 | (no letter) |
The king ♚
How it moves: One square in any direction — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. Eight possible squares on a normal turn (fewer if at the edge of the board).
Special abilities: Castling — see the chess rules page for the full conditions.
What it can't do: Move onto a square attacked by an enemy piece. Move next to the enemy king (that would put both kings in check, which is illegal for both).
Strategic use: The king is the most valuable piece and also one of the slowest. In the opening and middlegame, keep it safe behind a wall of pawns — usually by castling early. In the endgame, with most pieces traded off, the king becomes an attacking piece in its own right and should march to the center.
The king's biggest threat: Itself. A king stranded in the middle of the board with most pieces still on it is the cause of most beginner losses.
The queen ♛
How it moves: Any number of squares horizontally, vertically, or diagonally — combines the rook and bishop. Can sweep across the entire board in a single move if no piece blocks her path.
Value: 9 points. Worth roughly as much as two rooks (10) or three minor pieces (9).
Strategic use: The most powerful piece, but bring her out carefully. A queen developed too early in the opening gets harassed by smaller pieces, and you waste moves moving her around. Wait until your knights and bishops are out before activating the queen.
Common mistakes: Bringing the queen out on move 2 or 3, then losing tempo dodging knight attacks; trading the queen for less material in the heat of an attack; leaving the queen on a square where it can be forked by a knight.
The rook ♜
How it moves: Any number of squares in a straight horizontal or vertical line. Cannot jump over pieces.
Value: 5 points. Strong, but worth less than two minor pieces (6).
Special abilities: Castling — the rook moves alongside the king. See the rules page.
Strategic use: Rooks are slow to activate but devastating once they reach open files (columns with no pawns). Stack two rooks on the same open file ("doubling") and they can dominate a game. Rooks are at their best on the seventh rank, where they attack pawns and restrict the enemy king.
Rule of thumb: "Rooks belong on open files." If a file has no pawns, get a rook on it.
The bishop ♝
How it moves: Any number of squares diagonally. Cannot jump.
Value: 3 points. Equal to a knight on paper, but typically slightly stronger in open positions.
The color constraint: Each bishop stays on its starting color forever. The light-squared bishop will only ever attack light squares, and the dark-squared bishop only dark squares. This means together they cover the whole board — which is why the bishop pair (both bishops still on the board) is considered worth slightly more than two individual bishops.
Strategic use: Bishops love open diagonals and suffer when blocked by their own pawns. A bishop "biting on granite" — staring at a wall of its own pawns — is called a "bad bishop" and is one of the worst pieces in chess. A "good bishop" sits behind pawns that move on the opposite color and aims at the enemy position.
Pro tip: In closed positions with locked pawn chains, knights often outperform bishops. In open positions with few pawns, bishops outperform knights.
The knight ♞
How it moves: In an L-shape — two squares in one direction (horizontal or vertical), then one square perpendicular. Eight possible squares from a central position.
Unique ability: Knights jump over pieces. They're the only piece that can do this. This makes them lethal in cramped positions where other pieces are blocked.
Value: 3 points.
Strategic use: Knights are short-range, so they need to be placed where they're already close to the action. A knight on the rim is dim — a knight on a1 or h8 attacks only two squares. A knight on e5 attacks eight. The closer to the center, the more dangerous.
The outpost concept: A knight planted on a square in enemy territory that can't be attacked by enemy pawns is called an outpost. An outposted knight on the 5th or 6th rank, supported by a pawn, is often more valuable than a queen.
Color alternation: Every knight move switches the square color. A knight on a light square always lands on a dark square, and vice versa. This is sometimes useful tactically — if a piece on a light square is attacked by a knight on a light square, the attack will dissolve after any knight move.
The pawn ♟
How it moves: One square straight forward if that square is empty. Two squares forward from its starting position (rank 2 for White, rank 7 for Black), but only on its first move.
How it captures: Diagonally forward one square — never straight forward. This is the rule most often forgotten by beginners.
Special abilities:
- En passant: Can capture an enemy pawn that just moved two squares from its starting position. See rules.
- Promotion: When a pawn reaches the far rank (8th rank for White, 1st rank for Black), it transforms into a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of the same color.
Value: 1 point. But this dramatically understates the pawn's strategic importance. Pawns can never move backwards, so every pawn move is permanent. This makes pawn structure — the pattern of where your pawns sit — the long-term skeleton of the position.
Strategic use: Pawns work best in chains and groups. A passed pawn (one that no enemy pawn can stop from promoting) is one of the most powerful long-term assets. A doubled pawn (two pawns on the same file) or an isolated pawn (no friendly pawn on adjacent files) is a structural weakness.
"Pawns are the soul of chess"
— François-André Danican Philidor (1726–1795). Three centuries later, every world champion still agrees.
Relative strength in different positions
Piece values aren't fixed. They shift based on the position:
- Open positions (few pawns, lots of empty squares): Bishops and rooks shine because they can stretch their legs. Knights struggle.
- Closed positions (locked pawn structures): Knights dominate because they jump over the traffic. Bishops can get trapped behind their own pawns.
- Endgame: Pawns become more valuable as promotion approaches. The king becomes a strong attacker. Knights and bishops are usually roughly equal, but two bishops together are stronger than two knights together.
How to use this information
When you make a trade — exchanging one of your pieces for one of the opponent's — count the values. A trade of equal value (knight for bishop, rook for rook) is roughly neutral. A trade of more for less (queen for rook) is a serious mistake. A trade of less for more is winning material.
But more importantly: ask yourself whether your remaining pieces are better placed than your opponent's. A "winning material" trade that leaves your king exposed is worse than no trade at all.
When you have read enough and want to actually play, try our online chess board — no sign-up, nothing to install.