How Chess Pieces Move
Every chess piece on one page: a little board showing where it can go, its letter, its usual value, and the three special moves. Print it for a class, a club table or the fridge.
What is this?
A one-page chess cheat sheet for beginners. Each piece gets a small board with the piece in the middle and a dot on every square it can move to, so a child can see the move instead of reading about it. It is the page most chess teachers end up drawing on a whiteboard in the first lesson, ready to print.
Starting a club or teaching a class? Our guide to teaching chess in school has a simple lesson plan, and how to start a school chess club covers the rest.
How each chess piece moves
| Piece | How it moves | Value |
|---|---|---|
| ♔ King (K) | One square in any direction. It can never move into check. | The whole game |
| ♕ Queen (Q) | Any number of squares in a straight line or diagonally, like a rook and a bishop together. | 9 |
| ♖ Rook (R) | Any number of squares up, down, left or right. | 5 |
| ♗ Bishop (B) | Any number of squares diagonally, so it always stays on one colour. | 3 |
| ♘ Knight (N) | An L shape: two squares one way, then one square to the side. It is the only piece that can jump over other pieces. | 3 |
| ♙ Pawn | One square forward, or two on its very first move. It captures one square diagonally forward. | 1 |
No piece except the knight can jump over another piece. A piece captures by moving onto a square where an enemy piece stands, and that piece is taken off the board. The values are a guide for trades, they are not used to score the game.
The three special moves
- Castling. The king moves two squares toward a rook, and that rook jumps over to the square right next to the king on the other side. You can only castle if neither piece has moved yet, the squares between them are empty, and the king is not in check and does not pass through or land on a square that is attacked.
- Promotion. When a pawn reaches the far side of the board, swap it for a queen, rook, bishop or knight. Most players pick a queen.
- En passant. If an enemy pawn moves two squares and lands right beside your pawn, your pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square. You must do it on the very next move or the chance is gone.
How to use it
- Change the title or add your club or class name if you like.
- Pick Colour, or Ink saver for black and white printers.
- Pick A4 or Letter and how many copies you need.
- Press Print or save as PDF, then choose your printer or Save as PDF.
Common questions
How do chess pieces move?
The king moves one square in any direction. The queen moves any number of squares in a straight line or diagonally. The rook moves any number of squares in a straight line, and the bishop any number diagonally. The knight jumps in an L shape and is the only piece that can jump over others. The pawn moves forward one square, or two on its first move, and captures one square diagonally forward.
Which chess piece is the most powerful?
The queen. She moves like a rook and a bishop together, so she usually counts as 9 points. The king is the most important piece, because the game ends when it is checkmated, but it only moves one square at a time.
How many points is each chess piece worth?
The usual values are pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5 and queen 9. The king has no value because it can never be captured. The points are only a guide for deciding trades, they are not used to score the game.
Can a pawn move backwards in chess?
No. A pawn only ever moves forward. If it reaches the far side of the board it is promoted, and the player swaps it for a queen, rook, bishop or knight, which can then move backwards like normal.
Can I print this chess cheat sheet for my class?
Yes. It is free with no signup and no watermark, and you can print as many copies as you like for a class, club or library. Pick Ink saver for black and white printing, and A4 or Letter to match your paper.
Other free tools
Once they know the moves, let them play: the free online chess clock times a game on any phone, the round robin generator sets up a class tournament where everyone plays everyone, and the chess certificate maker prints a certificate for every player at the end.
Ready for a first tournament?
ChessHost runs a class or club tournament from your phone: players join with a QR code, every round is paired for you, and standings show on the classroom screen. Free for one event a month.
Start a free tournament