The King is the most important piece in the game of chess. If the King cannot move the game is lost. No other piece has this effect on the game of chess. The largest piece on the board, the King is easily recognized by the crown that it wears. Not to be confused by the coronet of the Queen.
The King piece moves are pretty simple. One space from his position is all he can move. He must be guarded to keep from being checkmated. It is best not to use pawns to guard him in that they cannot protect him from an attack from behind. There is not really any best piece to guard the King; any piece is equal to the task. Each piece has its own way of guarding.
The only exception to the King moving only one space at a time is called castling. This is when the Rook and the King swap spaces at the same time. This is the only 2 piece move that is allowed for the King with his Rook. Move the King 2 spaces to the right or left then move the rook on that side and set it on the opposite side of the king on the space beside the King. This move must be completed simultaneously. Also these conditions must be met: The king must not have moved and the rook must not have moved yet in this game. They are therefore in the same line. Furthermore any space that the king has to cross cannot be occupied by any other piece and that crossed space cannot presently be attacked by any other piece. That is, if a pawn was able to attack one of the spaces, the king cannot castle over that space because the pawn can attack that space.
The King piece moves can include capturing pieces although it is not recommended to use that as a primary weapon. The Kings range is not good and its ability to capture is very limited. If an opponent piece is next to the King and is being guarded, you will not be able to capture that opposing piece because it will be an automatic check for your King. Since the next step is checkmate, this is not advisable because it will terminate your game immediately.
The King is the most important piece in deciding stalemate and checkmate situations. Stalemate occurs when a player cannot make a legal move. For example, only the King is left on your side and the opponent has a Rook and a King remaining. The Rook boxes in your King and your King is pushed into a corner where he cannot make a move without being captured. That is stalemate. This shows the importance of keeping your king safe and trying not to lose your other pieces.
Checkmate is when the King cannot make a move in any direction without being captured and none of the Kings pieces can save him. If your King was in a corner, your opponents King was 2 spaces away up against the side and the opponents Rook was guarding your King so that your King could not move, your King would be in a checkmate position. In other words if you moved your King any space, it would get captured.
Remember, keep your King safe at all times and do not let your King be the only piece left and you will easily be able to have a chance at winning. Remember the King is the most important piece and castle when you are able to use that strategy. You can only castle once in your game so make the King work for you and have fun!
