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  • Lesson 9 of 32
  • Special moves
  • 3 min

What Is Check in Chess, and How to Get Out of It

Kings are never actually captured in chess. Instead, when a king is attacked, it is in check, and its player has to deal with that before anything else.

Step 1 of 5

  1. The king is attacked

    The white rook on e1 looks straight up the e-file at the black king on e8. The black king is in check. Black's next move must end the attack: no other move is allowed.

  2. Give check

    Now you are the one attacking.

    Your move

    Move your rook so it attacks the black king.

  3. Way out 1: move the king

    Your king is in check from the rook on e8. The simplest escape is to step out of the line of attack, to a square nothing attacks.

    Your move

    Move your king out of check.

  4. Way out 2: block the check

    The black rook on a1 checks your king along the first rank, and your king has nowhere to go. But your bishop can step in between the rook and the king.

    Your move

    Block the check with your bishop.

  5. Way out 3: capture the attacker

    Same check, but this time your bishop can do better than block: it can take the piece giving check.

    Your move

    Get out of check by capturing the attacker.

What you learned

  • A king that is attacked is in check, and its player must get out of check at once.
  • There are three ways out: move the king, block the attack, or capture the attacker.
  • You may never make a move that leaves your own king in check.

In this course

Unit 1The pieces

  1. The Chessboard and How to Set Up the Pieces
  2. How the Rook Moves in Chess
  3. How the Bishop Moves in Chess
  4. How the Queen Moves in Chess
  5. How the King Moves in Chess
  6. How the Knight Moves in Chess
  7. How Pawns Move and Capture in Chess
  8. Chess Piece Values: What Each Piece Is Worth

Unit 2Special moves

  1. What Is Check in Chess, and How to Get Out of It
  2. How to Castle in Chess: Kingside and Queenside
  3. En Passant in Chess, Explained on the Board
  4. Pawn Promotion in Chess: Turning a Pawn Into a Queen

Unit 3Winning the game

  1. What Is Checkmate? Learn to Mate in One
  2. Stalemate in Chess: Why It's a Draw
  3. How to Checkmate With a King and Queen

Unit 4Your first tactics

  1. The Fork: Attack Two Pieces at Once
  2. The Pin in Chess: Freeze a Piece in Place
  3. The Skewer in Chess: Attack Through a Piece

Unit 5Checkmate patterns

  1. Back-Rank Mate in Chess: Spot It and Stop It
  2. Smothered Mate in Chess: The Knight's Checkmate
  3. The Ladder Mate: Checkmate With Two Rooks
  4. How to Checkmate With a King and Rook

Unit 6More tactics

  1. Discovered Attack in Chess: Unmask a Hidden Attacker
  2. Double Check in Chess: Two Checks at Once
  3. Removing the Defender in Chess: Take the Guard

Unit 7Opening principles

  1. Control the Centre: A Chess Opening Principle
  2. How to Develop Your Pieces in the Chess Opening
  3. Scholar's Mate: How It Works and How to Stop It
  4. Fool's Mate: The Fastest Checkmate in Chess

Unit 8Endgame basics

  1. The Rule of the Square in Chess Endgames
  2. The Opposition in Chess: King Endgame Basics
  3. King and Pawn vs King: How to Win the Ending

Lessons for every game

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