Castling in chess
How to play chess
How does castling work in chess?
Castling is a special move that moves your king to safety and brings a rook into play at the same time. It is the only move where two pieces move at once. You castle by moving the king two squares towards a rook, and the rook jumps over to the other side of the king.
| ♜ | ♚ | ♜ | |||||
| ● | ● | ● | |||||
| ♖ | ● | ● | ♔ | ● | ● | ♖ |
The green dots show where the piece can go; a green frame is a capture.
The rules
- Kingside castling (short): the king moves two squares towards the h-file rook, and the rook goes to the square the king crossed.
- Queenside castling (long): the king moves two squares towards the a-file rook, and the rook goes next to the king on the other side.
- The king and that rook must not have moved at all earlier in the game.
- There must be no pieces between the king and the rook.
- The king must not be in check, must not pass through a square that is attacked, and must not land on an attacked square.
Common mistakes
- Castling after the king has already moved, even if he went back.
- Trying to castle out of check, or through an attacked square.
- Leaving it too late. Most players castle in the first ten moves.
Remember
Castle early: it protects your king and wakes up a rook.