A capturing piece replaces the opponent piece on its square, except for an en passant capture by a pawn. Pieces other than pawns capture in the same way that they move. If the pawn reaches a square on the back rank of the opponent, it promotes to the player's choice of a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of the same color. A pawn can perform a special type of capture of an enemy pawn called en passant ('in passing'), wherein it captures a horizontally adjacent enemy pawn that has just advanced two squares as if that pawn had only advanced one square. When there is an enemy piece one square diagonally ahead of a pawn, then the pawn may capture that piece. The pawn may move forward one square, and one or two squares when on its starting square, toward the opponent's side of the board.

Consequently, the knight alternates its square color each time it moves.

The knight moves from one corner of any two-by-three rectangle to the opposite corner.

Castling may only be performed if the king and rook involved are unmoved, if the king is not in check, if the king would not travel through or into check, and if there are no pieces between the rook and the king. The king may participate in castling, which is a move consisting of the king moving two squares toward a same-colored rook on the same rank and the rook moving to the square crossed by the king. No move may be made such that the king is placed or left in check.

The king may move to any adjoining square.

The queen may move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally without jumping.

Consequently, a bishop stays on squares of the same color throughout the game.

The bishop may move any number of squares diagonally without jumping.

It also takes part, along with the king, in castling.

The rook may move any number of squares vertically or horizontally without jumping.

During play, the players take turns moving their own chess pieces. The rules of chess prescribe the moves each type of chess piece can make. Squares are referenced using algebraic notation. By convention, the queen, rooks, and pawns are specified by name in these cases – for example, 'winning a queen', 'losing a rook', or 'sacrificing a pawn'.

In phrases such as 'winning a piece', 'losing a piece' or 'sacrificing a piece' and other related contexts, it refers only to minor pieces (bishops or knights).

In this context, the pieces can be broken down into three groups: major pieces (queen and rooks), minor pieces (bishops and knights), and the king.

In play, the term is usually used to exclude pawns, referring only to a queen, rook, bishop, knight, or king.

Chess sets have been made in a variety of styles, sometimes for decorative or artistic purposes rather than practical play, but the Staunton pattern is standard for competition. When used this way, 'piece' is synonymous with 'chessman' or simply 'man'.

It may mean any of the physical pieces of the set, including the pawns.The word 'piece' has three meanings, depending on the context. In a standard game, each of the two players begins with the following sixteen pieces: The pieces that belong to each player are distinguished by color: the lighter colored pieces are referred to as 'white' and the player that controls them as 'White', whereas the darker colored pieces are referred to as 'black' and the player that controls them as 'Black'.

Additional pieces, usually an extra queen per color, may be provided for use in promotion.Įach player begins with sixteen pieces (but see the subsection below for other usage of the term piece). It can be either white or black, and it can be one of six types: king, queen, rook, bishop, knight, or pawn.Ĭhess sets generally come with sixteen pieces of each color. Left to right: pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, kingĪ chess piece, or chessman, is a game piece that is placed on a chessboard to play the game of chess.

Name of the chess pieces