| Piece | How It Moves | Special Rules |

| --------- | ------------------------------------- | --------------------- |

| Pawn | Forward 1 (or 2), captures diagonally | En passant, promotion |

| Rook | Straight lines | Castling |

| Knight | L-shape (2+1) | Jumps over pieces |

| Bishop | Diagonals | Color-locked |

| Queen | Any direction | None |

| King | 1 square any way | Castling, checkmate |

## Pieces

1. Pawn (♙ / ♟️)

- Moves: Forward 1 square (or 2 on first move).

- Captures: Diagonally 1 square.

Special:

- En passant: Captures a pawn that moved 2 squares past it.

- Promotion: Reaches the 8th rank → becomes any piece (usually Queen).

2. Rook (♖ / ♜)

- Moves: Straight lines (any distance).

- Special: Castling (moves with the king).

3. Knight (♘ / ♞)

- Moves: "L-shape" (2 squares one way + 1 square perpendicular).

- Jumps: Over other pieces.

4. Bishop (♗ / ♝)

- Moves: Diagonals (any distance).

- Stays on one color forever.

5. Queen (♕ / ♛)

- Moves: Any direction (straight/diagonal, any distance).

- Most powerful piece!

6. King (♔ / ♚)

- Moves: 1 square in any direction.

Special:

Castling: Swaps places with a rook (if no blocks/checks).

Checkmate: Loses if trapped with no escape.

## How to move

1. One move per turn

2. Choose your piece, place it on a legal square

- Your color only: White moves first, then Black, alternating.

- No passing: You must move if it’s your turn.

How to Capture ("Eat")

- Land on an enemy piece: Replace it with your piece.

- Pawns capture diagonally only (not straight).

- Kings cannot be captured (checkmate ends the game).

>✔ Check: Attack the enemy king (they must escape next turn).

❌ Illegal: Moving into check or leaving your king in check.

## Special moves

| Move | Key Rule | Notation |

| ---------- | ---------------------------------- | ----------- |

| Castling | King + rook, no prior moves/checks | O-O |

| Promotion | Pawn→any piece at 8th rank | e8=Q |

| En Passant | Capture a 2-square pawn jump | exd6 e.p. |

1. Castling (The King’s Escape)

- What: King + Rook move together in one turn.

How:

- King moves 2 squares toward a rook.

- Rook jumps to the other side of the king.

Rules:

- No checks: King can’t be in check or pass through check.

- Never moved: King and that rook must be untouched.

Types:

Kingside (♔→♖, faster): O-O

Queenside (♔←♖, safer): O-O-O

2. Promotion ("Crowning")

- What: Pawn reaches the 8th rank → turns into any piece (usually Queen).

- How: Replace the pawn with a new piece (even if the original is still on the board).

> Fun fact: You can have 9 queens (1 original + 8 promotions)!

Promotion example (Pawn→Queen at h8)

3. En Passant (French for "In Passing")

- When: Enemy pawn moves 2 squares forward past your pawn.

- How: Capture it diagonally (as if it moved only 1 square).

> Rule: Must do it immediately (next turn only).

#chess #elsalvador #somachess