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The Basics of Chess

Check and Checkmate






The King is the most important piece in chess. The object of chess is
to attack the opponent's King in such a way that it cannot escape.
This is called "checkmate".

Note that the King is never actually captured; the inability to escape from attack is what constitutes checkmate.

Any attack by a piece directly on a King is called "check". When a King is checked it must
immediately get out of check. The King cannot be allowed to remain in check.

If it is a player's turn to move and his King is not in check, he cannot make any move that exposes his King to check.
The King must never come within the capturing range of enemy pieces.

    There are three ways to get out of check:

  1. to capture the piece that is giving check;
  2. to move the King out of the line of attack - but not into the line of attack of some other enemy piece;
  3. to interpose one of your own pieces between the King and the piece that is giving check.

If none of these three methods can be applied, then the King is checkmated.

On the diagrams below are some examples.


    White's Queen is checking the Black King. Black has a choice of three different ways of getting his King out of check:

  • interposing with his rook;
  • capturing the Queen with the Pawn;
  • moving his King to a safe square.


In this position Black's King is in check, but has a square free from attack where he can move
(marked by a dot).


In this final example Black's King is in check from White's Rook
and has no escape as its own Pawns block the exit. This is an example of checkmate.


There are two special types of check; discovered check and double check. Use the menu to study both.