Can the King Capture in Chess? Unleash the Warrior Monarch!
I have won many, many games by bringing my king into the fray of the chess battlefield before my opponent. He’s a much stronger piece than most people realize. Don’t think of your king like an indulgent and soft king like Louis XVI of France unable to fend for himself and in constant need of protection. In the realm of chess, think of your king more like a Genghis Kahn or Ragnar Lothbrook.
In chess, the king can attack and capture just like other pieces. Despite his apparent vulnerability, the king is a strong attacking piece superior to both a bishop and a knight. Endgame strategy often times centers around an active, and centrally-located king on the battlefield.
I cannot emphasize enough how most people under-utilize their king. Grandmaster Reuben Fine clarified any debate about the king by simply saying, “The King is a strong piece – use it!” Although the King is a strong attacking piece, he does have some limitations and considerations to be aware of. At all times, the king’s movement rules are in place. Read on for a complete understanding of the King’s limitations, and more importantly, the ways he’s a total savage!
“The King is a strong attacking piece – use it!”
– GM Reuben Fine
The King’s Movement Rules
- The king can move one square at a time, in any direction (with the exception of Castling).
- The king cannot move to a square occupied by one of his own pieces.
- The king cannot move into a space “threatened” by an enemy piece.
- The king can move to a space occupied by an enemy piece, capturing it, as long as it does not conflict with Rule 3.
The King can Summon a Bodyguard
Although the king is a strong piece, he’s also the most important piece. If the king is checkmated, the game is over. Therefore, keeping your king safe early in the game is paramount. To this end, there are three special moves in chess (moves where pieces can break their normal movement) and one of them allows the king to flee to safety and summon a bodyguard!
Castling is one of the three special moves in chess. It allows the players to move both the king and rook at the same time. The move accomplishes two goals at the same time (which, in chess means it’s probably a good move!). First, it moves the king into the safety of a “castle” behind three guardian pawns. Second, it brings one of your strongest pieces into the “action” of the game. Even though rooks are strong pieces, they don’t do you any favors sitting in a corner by itself all game.
The King is Stronger than a Bishop or Knight
The king is a strong attacking piece. Even though bishops can zip all the way across a chess board, and knights can jump over other pieces, the king is still a superior attacking piece than both of the lieutenants! A general rule of thumb is, after the queens leave the board, you can begin thinking about getting the king into the action.
Check out this absolute monster of a game where Capablanca (arguably the greatest chess player of all time) absolutely dominates the Cuban Champion Juan Corzo. Playing white in this game, Capablanca is only 13 years old! Notice how he brings his king into the battle beginning on move 16, and becomes the star of the show for the rest of the game! Notice in this game how much trouble black has stopping a pawn from turning into a queen! A difficult job for a knight, but easy for a king who can move to any color square. You can click through the game rather quickly keeping an eye on how much of a participant the white king is.
The Kings can restrict space and set up blockades
Let’s take a look back at Rule 3.
The king cannot move into a space “threatened” by an enemy piece.
Every chess book, ever.
The logical end to this is that a king may never occupy a space beside another king. If you were to move your king beside an enemy king, then the king could capture you on its move. Therefore every space around a king is a threatened space. While this seems mundane, it’s a really powerful tool used to create, in chess, what’s called opposition and a state of zugzwang. Both of these concepts are a little outside the scope of this post. The point though is that you can use the power of your king’s “barrier” from the other king to restrict his space and ability to move.
In this example, white wants to queen his pawn and checkmate the black king. Believe it or not, that ain’t happening. This position is dead drawn regardless of whose move it is. The black king has the ability to block the white king and pawn from getting to the queen square d8. Set this position up against a computer as white and try to win it. You can’t. The power of the king shines, yet again!
In Conclusion
The king is a total beast. He’s stronger than a bishop or a knight, can execute a special move, summon a bodyguard, and even restrict an enemy king’s space. The strongest players in the world don’t treat the king like a defenseless weakling. The treat him like the warrior monarch he is!
