One of the most crucial special moves in chess is the castling move. It’s a unique, amazing, and crucial move to understand. To castle correctly, there are many rules to follow, but don’t worry—they are simple to understand!
Everything you need to know about casting is as follows:
What is Castling?
In chess, castling is a unique move that allows you to do many unique actions. It is the only move, to start with, that allows you to move two pieces at once! Second, moving the king more than one square is allowed only during the castling phase of the game of chess! Thirdly, it’s the only move that keeps your king safe and advances your rook. The kingside (represented as 0-0) or queenside (represented as 0-0-0) are the two possible caslting positions.
Without a doubt, you’re wondering how we castle. Let’s check!
How Do You Castle?
A rook and the king play a role in castling. As said before, there are many castling rules: The first is that you can only move your rook and king to the side you wish to castle if you haven’t already. The second rule is that on the side you wish to castle, no piece may be placed in the path of your king or rook. Nothing stands between White’s king on e1 and White’s rook on h1, as shown in the diagram below.
White can castle kingside because there are no pieces between the king and the rook and because neither piece has moved. How can we go about doing this? The white rook moves from h1 to f1, while the white king advances two squares (from e1 to g1). There are three methods that you can castling in chess.
- dragging the king between the e1 and g1 squares,
- dragging it between the e1 and h1 squares,
- or clicking the king on the e1 and then clicking on the g1 squares.
In either situation, the rook simply swings to f1 and the king moves to g1. Below is showing the moves that were made after the kingside cast:
Queenside castling follows the same principles as kingside castling, which we have already discussed. The white king on e1 and the white rook on a1 are shown in the diagram below without any pieces in between, and neither piece has moved:
How then do we castle queenside (as White once more)? The rook goes from a1 to d1, and we still advance the king over two squares, from e1 to c1.
- Click the king on the e1-square and then click again on the c1-square or b1-square.
- drag your king from the e1-square to any of the following: the c1-square, b1-square, or a1-square.
Once more, the king moves to c1, and the rook moves automatically to d1. After queenside castling, the movements shown above are diagrammed here:
Queenside castling achieved!
There are a few more guidelines to master after learning how to castle.
New Castling Rules
In some instances, we can still not castle even when the first two requirements—that is, both the king nor the rook have been moved—are met. Here are three more castling guidelines:
You cannot castle if you are in check. You won’t achieve anything until you get out of check. The bishop on b4 in the diagram below checks the white king, stopping White from castling.
2) If the pieces of your opponent attack any square that the king is going through, you are unable to castle.
3) A castle cannot be put into check. Given that it is against the law to move into a cheque in the first place, this guideline is simple to remember!
One excellent way to remember these castling limitations is that you cannot castle through, out of, or into check!
Why Does Castle Find it Important?
Now that you know when and how to execute this unique movement, let’s talk about why it matters so much. By castling, you can remove your king from the center and give it pawn protection. Moreover, castling allows your rook to enter the fray. When White castles kingside, he is in the following position:
Observe that White’s king on g1 is strong by the pawns on f2, g2, and h2. In addition, we observe that castling has joined the white rooks, allowing them to cooperate more effectively. It’s a terrific two-for-one move to get your king out of the center and into safety while simultaneously creating a rook! You may avoid several rapid checkmates by shifting your king out of the middle!
Conclusion
You now understand the meaning of castling, how to use it, when it’s suitable, and why it’s important. Apply this fresh knowledge to your games, and may your rooks be active and your king safe!