Opening a game wellStep 3 of 6
Castle early
One move that tucks the king away and brings a rook towards the centre. Do it early.
Your king starts the game in the middle of the board. That is the worst place for him: it is exactly where lines open when pawns get traded.
Castling fixes it in one move. The king goes to a corner behind three untouched pawns, and on the way your rook comes towards the centre. Two problems solved at once: the king is safe, the rook is in play.
Castle early. Not “once I have finished developing”, not “when it gets dangerous”. Early. Most beginner games are lost by a king left in the centre while the position opened around him.
Two rules to know:
- You cannot castle if your king or that rook has already moved — even if it came back.
- You cannot castle out of check, or through an attacked square. The rook, however, may cross an attacked square: it is the king that counts.
Demonstration — use the arrows
Use the ← and → arrow keys, or click a move in the list.
Move list
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
Your turn
Your turn
White to move
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Move1 / 1
Attempts0
Play your move on the board: drag a piece, or tap it and then tap its destination square.
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