The King can move one square in any direction. The King can also capture an opponent's piece if it is on one of those squares as long as this piece is not defended. The King is not allowed to move himself into check. The following figure illustrates how the King moves. The King can move to any of the marked squares.



Sometimes a special move with the King is allowed which is called castling. This is the only chess move that actually involves two pieces at the same time as we will see at the castling lesson.

Next lesson: the Knight.