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Special Moves There are some special moves that you can make. They do not follow the basic move rules. One is called castling. When your King and one of your Rooks haven’t moved during the game and there is no piece in-between, then you can castle. Your King goes 2 spaces toward the Rook that you’re castling with, and the Rook goes on the other side of the King.
Another is called en passant. When your opponent's Pawn has just moved up two spaces on its opening move, then you can capture him if you move your Pawn diagonal and go above him.
Piece Strategies Bishop
If you have a good attack then that is considered your good Bishop. Bishops have the edge over Knights. If a Knight is on the rim you can move your Bishop 3 spaces above him, then you have a direct attack if he moves. You have your opponent’s Knight.
Knight You should first of all keep your Knight in the center. It has the most maneuverability there. (They can go into 8 different spaces from the center.) If you have a Knight on the side or the rim, it is ok there. It can only move 4 spaces from that point so it's not as good. There is as rhyme for this. It is "a Knight on the rim is dim".
You should by all means, keep your Knight away from the corner. It only has 2 squares where it can move. There is a rhyme for this too, "A Knight on the corner and you’re a mourner." If your Knight is on the rim you need to keep away from the Bishops, because they easily pin Knights. You need to keep away from your opponent’s Pawns. You need to find a hole in the position and put the Knight in that position. It will be very powerful there. Fork A Knight can be very powerful in a fork. A fork is when your Knight puts the King in check but is attacking another piece or pieces at the same time. If your Knight is attacking 3, or more pieces it is called a family fork. The King moves and you attack the other piece.
Rook The Rook can be very powerful. You need to keep your Rook on an open rank or file. If you close him in with a Pawn or any piece then he would be no good. Don’t bring a Rook out too early because it is very useful in a checkmate. If you can use both your Rooks, then use them. When you have one file open, move 1 Rook to the open space, and move him up one. Then take your 2nd Rook and put him behind the first Rook. This position is very powerful. The name for this is Double Rooks. If you have a Rook on an open rank or file, you should use it to penetrate your opponent’s defense or position. Remember that if there is a double attack, then you should go for their defense and then checkmate.
The Pawn might be small but it can make a big difference. Since the Pawn can only move in one direction it is considered to be the worst piece. But unlike any piece, if you get a Pawn to your opponent’s home rank, then you transform your Pawn into any piece but a King.
As you move your Pawns forward you open the Bishops, lead the way for attacks, and defend other pieces. One thing you should try not to do is double your Pawns. What this does is let your position become weak. They are very vulnerable and can be easily captured. If you do get a double Pawn then take the first chance to re-attack with one of the doubled Pawn. If your opponent has a Pawn chain, which is when your Pawns form a diagonal line, then aim for the bottom pawn, for it is the weakest.
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