Laws of Chess - The moves of the pieces


1.
It is not permitted to move a piece to a square occupied by a piece of the same colour. If a piece moves to a square occupied by an opponent´s piece the latter is captured and removed from the chessboard as part of the same move. A piece is said to attack an opponent´s piece if the piece could make a capture on that square according to Articles 2. to 5..

2.
a) The queen may move to any square along the file, the rank or a diagonal on which it stands.

b) The rook may move to any square along the file or the rank on which it stands.

c) The bishop may move to any square along a diagonal on which it stands.

When making these moves the bishop, rook or queen may not move over any intervening pieces.

3.
The knight may move to one of the squares nearest to that on which it stands but not on the same rank, file or diagonal.

4.
a) The pawn may move forward to the unoccupied square immediately in front of it on the same file, or

b) on its first move the pawn may move as in a); alternatively it may advance two squares along the same file provided both squares are unoccupied, or

c) the pawn may move to a square occupied by an opponent´s piece, which is diagonally in front of it on an adjacent file, capturing that piece.

d) A pawn attacking a square crossed by an opponent´s pawn which has advanced two squares in one move from its original square may capture this opponent´s pawn as though the latter had been moved only one square. This capture may only be made on the move following this advance and is called an 'en passant' capture.

e) When a pawn reaches the rank furthest from its starting position it must be exchanged as part of the same move for a queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same colour. The player´s choice is not restricted to pieces that have been captured previously. This exchange of a pawn for another piece is called "promotion" and the effect of the new piece is immediate.

5.
a) There are two different ways of moving the king, by:

I) moving to any adjoining square not attacked by one or more of the opponent´s pieces. The opponent's pieces are considered to attack a square, even if such pieces cannot themselves move or:

II) "castling". This is a move of the king and either rook of the same colour on the same rank, counting as a single move of the king and executed as follows: the king is transferred from its original square two squares towards the rook, then that rook is transferred to the square the king has just crossed.

1) Castling is illegal:

if the king has already moved, or

with a rook that has already moved

2) Castling is prevented temporarily

a) if the square on which the king stands, or the square which it must cross, or the square which it is to occupy, is attacked by one or more of the opponent's pieces.

b) if there is any piece between the king and the rook with which castling is to be effected.

B) The king is said to be "in check", if it is attacked by one or more of the opponent´s pieces, even if such pieces cannot themselves move. No piece can be moved that will expose its own king to check or leave its own king in check.

6.
a) Series of conditional moves can be suggested and can partly or completely be accepted by the opponent. For the person who suggested the conditional move, the rate will be added to the move he actually made; for the opponent, the highest possible number will be added to the move he conveyed in his answer.

b) The person suggesting is bound to the conditional series of moves until the opponent deviates from the suggested series of moves.

c) When accepting a series of conditional moves, all the moves accepted need to be repeated (This can be done by clicking the arrow button on the right of the chessboard. By clicking "move" -> "Yes", the conditional moves will be saved up to the position that was chosen).

 


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