THE PAWN

THE KNIGHT

THE BISHOP

THE KING

THE QUEEN

THE ROOK

The pawn has sixteen spots on the chessboard. Being the weakest piece it can only move one square forward at a time. But it can move two squares forward at the beginning of the game when it hasn't moved yet. They can only attack diagonally. Pawns are the soul of the game.

The Bishop, first symbolized by an elephant, has four spots on the board. It moves diagonally as many open squares as possible. There is one on each side of the queen and king. It's obvious that the one on the queen's side is the queen's bishop, and the one by the king is the king's bishop.

The knight, usually symbolized by the head of the horse, also has four spots on the board. It is the only piece that can put a piece in check without putting itself in jeopardy. It can jump over its own pieces to get to its destination.

The rook is a cornerstone. There are four on each corner of the board. They can move up and down, side to side, as many open squares as he wants. He is sometimes called the tower or the castle. It can perform the castling move with the king.

The king is the point of the game. It can move one space in any direction. If the king gets in checkmate, or put in jeopardy by other pieces and he can't move anywhere, the game is OVER. Although it isn't the most powerful piece it is the most important. So protect your king please!

The queen is all powerful. It moves as many squares in any direction as it wants. It's the piece favored by most chess players. It towers over the other pieces on most boards. There are two on the chessboard. One on each side. They are usually moved onto the board later on in the game. DON'T LOSE IT!

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