Castle in Chess

Castling is a defensive move in chess in which the king and the rook are allowed to move at the same time. It is the only time two pieces move at once, but the board must satisfy certain criteria for a castling to be appropriate. You can learn to recognize those criteria, execute the move, and use it successfully in a game. See Step 1 for more information.

Steps

Learning the Rule

  1. Make sure the board satisfies the requirements for castling. To execute a castle, you'll need to look at the positioning of your king and the positioning of your rook. Neither piece can have been moved from its original position, even if the pieces have returned to that space, although if you want to castle with one rook, the other can have moved freely.
    • All the spaces between the rook and the king need to be free spaces. To castle with the rook to the right of your king, the bishop and the knight on that side need to have moved elsewhere. To castle with the rook to the left of your king, the bishop, knight, and queen must have moved elsewhere. Likewise, these spaces cannot be occupied by your opponent's pieces, meaning you can't castle to capture a piece.
    • The king must not currently be in check and must not be put in check as a result of the castling. If you have been checked previously in the game but are not currently in check, you are allowed to castle. If the rook is threatened, you're still permitted to castle.[1]
  2. Move the king 2 spaces towards the rook. The move itself depends on which rook you choose to castle with. You can castle with either of your rooks, to kingside (to the right of the king, a shorter distance) or to queenside (to the left of the king, in which the rook will move one extra space).
    • To castle kingside, move your king two spaces right, toward the rook on that side, replacing the original position of the knight, which must be elsewhere.
    • To castle queenside, move your king two spaces left, toward the rook on that side, replacing the original position of the bishop on that side, which must be elsewhere.
  3. Move the rook to the other side of the king. In the same move, you'll pick up the rook on that side and move it to the space the king moved through to get to its new position. The pieces should be next to one another.
    • On a kingside castle, the rook will replace the position of the bishop on that side.
    • On a queenside castle, the rook will replace the position of the queen.

Learning When to Castle

  1. Castle only when it works to your advantage. Novice players who've just learned the rule tend to get overexcited and castle needlessly, when the board allows for it. While it can be a great way to throw off an encroaching attack, or to regroup your pieces for your own forward progress, it's not always the smartest play.
    • Castling was introduced at some time in the 1500s to increase the speed of play and open up new defensive avenues for players, balancing offensive and defensive strategy into a more fluid style of play.[2]
  2. Use a castle to free your rook and create offense. The rook can be one of the most difficult pieces to get into play, often not becoming an important offensive weapon until late in a game. If your offense calls for the wide range of the rook, executing a castle can be an excellent way of freeing the rook from behind the pawns.
  3. Wait to castle until your opponent has mounted an offense. The best time for a castling? Right when your opponent has settled on an offensive strategy that depends on your current positioning. If you see your opponent's offense coming together, you might want to hasten to open up room for a castle, then pull the rug out.
    • Some players castle early, sometimes within the first five moves, as a way of mounting their offense. If you prefer to orient the pieces having castled, go for it. In general though, you're removing the possibility of a later castle that will throw your opponent off. It's generally used more as a defensive maneuver, rather than an offensive strategy.[3]
  4. Always castle when the center is open. If you've got your king hanging out there with an open centerboard, it's usually good strategy to move him. It's hard to keep track of everything going on in a chess game as it is, meaning that a wide-open board leaves your king vulnerable and you'd be better defended by castling.
    • Alternatively, consider leaving your king in place if the action is mostly to the side. An unusual occurrence, perhaps, but it can happen. Play cautiously and read the board always before deciding to castle.
  5. Use your opponent's pieces as a guide. If you're wondering which side, if any, to castle on, let your opponent's pieces give you the clue. Typically, players want to control the middle of the board, but if you're playing against a more idiosyncratic player, they might have overloaded one side with pieces, making you more vulnerable to an attack on that side, making a castle inappropriate. Instead, work the middle of the board to regain control of the most options for an offensive strike.
    • Never castle into an attack. Usually your best bet is to castle on the opposite side, taking special care to defend against the pawns as they swarm in. So, if your opponent has overloaded your kingside, castle to the queen.[4]
  6. When in doubt, castle kingside. Many players, beginner and expert alike, agree that castling on the kingside offers you the benefit of a protected king and a free rook. It's usually quicker to castle to the kingside, since your queen need not have moved. Keep your pawns structured defensively on the kingside in anticipation of a castling.
  7. Use castling as part of a coordinated offensive strategy. If you want to know more about adding complexity to your chess play and developing more sophisticated techniques, you might want to study

Warnings

  • In tournament games, castling by moving the rook first and the king next is illegal. If your opponent sees this, you will be forced to move your rook any other way than castling. This is due to touch-move rules.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.chessvariants.org/d.chess/castlefaq.html
  2. ↑ http://www.learnchessrules.com/castling.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.chesscorner.com/tutorial/basic/castling/castle.htm
  4. ↑ http://www.chessguru.net/chess_rules/castling/

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