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The king is the most important piece on the chess board. It is unique in that it cannot be captured. The object of the game is to corner the opponents king. Capture of the king means the loss of the game. The king moves one square in any direction, but cannot move into an opponents attack. Also, if the king is under attack, one of several things must happen: (i) the king must be moved out of check, (ii) the check must be blocked by an intervening piece or (iii) the attacking piece must be captured. If none of these are possible, it is a check mate and the game is lost.

The value of the king is primarily in the fact that it is the object of the game. Consequently, a great deal of effort is placed in defending the king and keeping it in a safe position. However, the king also has value as an offensive piece and in most games, it ventures out to do battle with the opposing forces. Maximizing the value of the king depends on the stage of the game.

* The opening. It is unwise to move your king early in the game. This is for two reasons: (i) moving the king eliminates the future option of castling it to a more defensive position and (ii) because the king can only move one square at a time, it is generally a wasted move. Keep the king safely in its original position and spend your efforts developing your pawns and minor pieces (bishops and knights). At the beginning of the game, make sure to protect the pawn in front of the king's bishop. It is the only pawn that is defended only by the king and is consequently the weakest pawn on the board.

* The mid game. This portion of the game begins with the capture of pieces. Early in this stage of the game, you will want to castle. Castling is a unique move in chess. It allows you to move your king 2 squares to the right or left. The rook on that side is then moved adjacent to the king in the center of the board. Castling offers two huge advantages: (i) it moves the king to a fortified position behind a protective wall of pawns and (ii) it moves the rook to a stronger offensive position in the middle of the row. During the mid game, the king should be kept safely behind this wall and your efforts should be dedicated at protecting this wall as well as attacking your opponent's king.

* The end game. In this stage of the game, most of the pieces have been captured and each player only has a few remaining pieces. At this point, the king ventures out and joins the battle. It is generally unwise to move the king too far from the protection of any nearby pawns, particularly if your opponent still has major pieces remaining on the board. Remember, the king is your opponent's primary target. The king is generally most effective when used in support of advancing pawns. It is also effective in stopping the advance of your opponent's pawns.

Chess is an extremely complicated and challenging game with multiple layers of strategy. If you follow these basic ideas, it will greatly increase the effectiveness your king and the quality of your game.

Learn more about this author, Mark Askeda.
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