How the rook moves in chess

How to play chess

How does the rook move in chess?

The rook moves any number of squares along a row or a column. It cannot move diagonally. The rooks start in the corners and become powerful when the board opens up.

			●
			●
			●
			●
●	●	●	♖	●	●	●	●
			●
			●
♚			●				♔

The green dots show where the piece can go; a green frame is a capture.

The rules

The rook moves in straight lines: forwards, backwards, left or right, as far as it likes.
It cannot jump over other pieces.
It captures by moving onto an enemy piece.
A rook is worth about five pawns. Two rooks working together on the same row or column are very strong.

Common mistakes

Trying to move the rook diagonally.
Leaving the rooks in the corners all game instead of bringing them to open files.

Remember

Straight lines only: rows and columns.

Learn chess step by step in ChessPeak, free

← How the queen moves in chess · How the bishop moves in chess →

All "how to play" pages · Tactics guides