Special Moves
These moves seem like they break the rules of chess. But they are special moves you can only play sometimes.
Promotion
If a white pawn moves to the eight row or a black pawn moves to the first row, the pawn can "promote".
The pawn can become a knight, a bishop, a rook, or even a queen!
Castling
"Castling" (pronounced "casselling") is a really special move. If you haven't moved your king or rook yet, you can move your king two squares towards your rook, and put your rook on the other side.
Yup! When you castle, the king moves two squares and you move both pieces at the same time! It's the only move that lets you do this!
Remember to move your king first. If you move your rook first, it doesn't count as castling and you can't move your king!
This is kingside castling (also called short castling), because it happens on the side of the board that the king starts on.
This is queenside castling (also called long castling), because it happens on the side of the board that the queen starts on.
There are also certain positions where you can't castle. One way is if the king or the rook moved earlier. Remember, you can only castle if you haven't moved either piece. There are three ways your opponent can keep you from castling:
If your opponent puts your king in check, you aren't allowed to castle.
You have to save your king before you can castle.
If your king has to pass through a square that is being attacked by your opponent's piece, you can't castle.
You have to block the line of attack or capture the piece blocking your king before you can castle.
If your king will land on a square that is being attacked by your opponent's piece (if your king lands in check), you can't castle.
You have to block the line of attack or capture the piece blocking your king before you can castle.
En Passant
"En passant" (pronounced "on passont") is a French term that means "in passing". If a pawn moves two squares, up next to an enemy pawn, the enemy pawn can capture it as if the pawn only moved one square!
You can only play en passant right after the pawn moves two squares. If you make some other move, you can't play it later. Also, if the pawn only moved one square, you can't play it.
En passant is a tricky move, so if you're wondering whether you can play it, ask yourself these questions:
Did my opponent's pawn move two squares in one move?
Is my opponent's pawn beside (not in front of) mine?
Is my king safe from checks?
If the answer to all three questions is "yes", you can play en passant!
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