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ARTICLES & REFERENCE
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Some Basic Chess FAQs
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1) Can kings check other kings?
No. A king may not move to a square next to another king, because then this move would put the king that moves also into check, which is illegal. NO
2) Can queens castle?
Queens cannot castle. NO
3) Can two kings face each other, meaning, be on adjacent (connecting) squares?
Kings may face each other. What is not allowed for kings is to be at adjacent positions: moving a king next to another king means to move the king into check, but it is perfectly legal for kings to be at the same row or column with no pieces between them. NO
4) Can a king moved to square that is attacked by a pinned piece?
No, such a move is not allowed. The king would be on a square, attacked by a piece of its opponent. That this attacking piece would put its own king in check when it would take the king is not important here - what matters is that it can move to the square with the king on it. NO
5) Can a king move to a square that is attacked only by a piece that when moved would put his own king in check?
A king may never move to a square that is attacked by a piece of the opponent; regardless whether this piece is `pinned' (would cause check to its own king) when moved or not. Such a move would still be regarded as moving the king into check. NO
6) Must I capture when I can?
Capture is not obligatory in chess. (There is one case where one must capture: when your king is in check and the only possibility to lift the check is to capture. In all other cases, the player can decide whether or not to capture.) NO
7) If I have lost everything except the King, how many moves do I have before checkmate, to get a draw? 5? 10? 25? 50?
The number of moves is 50, i.e., 50 moves for white and 50 moves for black. If there have been (at least) 50 consecutive moves in which neither of the players has moved a pawn, and in which no piece has been taken then a player can claim a draw when it is his turn to move. The rule also applies when both players have other pieces besides their king. So, when the opponent has a pawn, the count starts again when he has moved his pawn. 50
8) Can a king castle after having been in check?
3Yes, but ONLY if the king has not moved. Moving the king disqualifies the king from castling. Moving a rook disqualifies THAT rook from castling, but the King may still castle with the other rook as long as that other rook has not been moved. The rules of chess state that castling is illegal, when the king or rook has moved earlier, and when in or through check. Having been in check which was removed by interposing another piece, or by taking (not with king or rook that is involved in the castling, of course) the checking piece does not prevent the player from castling later. Yes
9) Can a King attack when he is in check or must he move out of check without attacking?
There are three possible ways to get out of check: the king moves to a square he is not checked (and this may be done with and without taking a piece), a piece is interposed between the checking piece and the king, and the piece that checks is taken, either by the king or by another piece.
So the answer is: the king can attack when he is in check. The only condition is that he is not in check after the move. YES
10) If I am in check can I capture the piece that has me in check as long as I don't put my self back in check? YES
11) Is it true that at the very first move of the game, you are allowed to switch or castle your king and queen?
No. There is no such move in the standard rules of chess. NO
12) Is a pawn allowed to make a non-capturing move when he could capture?
There is no obligatory capture in chess (except when taking is the only possible way to escape check): when the square ahead of the pawn is empty, the pawn may move to that square, even when the pawn could instead make a capture. YES
13) If one moves a pawn to the other side of the board while having already a queen on the board, can one get a second queen.
Yes. In this way, one can get two, or even more queens. YES
14) Is it legal to take the piece to which a pawn is promoted in the next move?
Suppose a pawn is promoted to some piece, e.g., a queen. The question is: is it legal for the opponent to take that piece in the very first move after the promotion? The answer is: yes. The promoted piece can be taken just as any other piece.
YES
15) I was told that a pawn cannot take a king. Is this true?
No, this is not true. Kings can be attacked by any piece, including pawns. Confusion may have arisen with the following rule: it is not legal to place a king on a position where it is attacked by an enemy piece. When a player makes by accident such a move, then he must undo the move and make a legal move instead. NO
16) While castling (on the queen side,) can I castle if my rook passes through check?
Yes, The rook can pass check, or more precisely, through an attacked square. In other words, when all conditions that allow castling are met (rook and king have not moved, squares between rook and king are empty, and the king does not castle from, through, or to check) then castling is allowed. YES
17) Does a player win when his king reaches the opponents side of the board?
There is no rule that tells that a player can win by moving his king to some position. A game of chess is won by mating the king of the opponent. You can also win if your opponent resigns the game, or when using chess clocks, on time, or in an official match with an arbiter, when the arbiter declares you have lost (e.g., because you refuse to comply with the rules.) NO
18) On the first move are you allowed to move two pawns one square instead of one pawn two squares?
There is no such rule. NO.
19) I accidentally left my king in check. Do I lose the game?
When a player makes an illegal move, and this is noted, the move must be undone, and the player must make another move. The touched piece rule applies however. So, if it is possible to make a move with the intervening piece that does not leave your king in check, then such a move must be made. If that is not possible, another move must be made. NO
20) Does it mean that you lose the game when you accidentally knock down your king?
No. However, when a player knocks down his king intending to resign and afterwards see that his position is not bad and wants to continue however, then it is too late: he signified to resign and that is it. NO
