Meet the rook

You start a game of chess with two rooks. White's rooks begin on a1 and h1; Black's begin on a8 and h8. They're the pieces that look a little like castle towers, although in chess we call them rooks.

At the start of a game, each rook is tucked into a corner with other pieces in its way. That doesn't mean it's a weak piece. Give a rook some clear lines, and it can reach a remarkable number of squares.

Straight lines: ranks and files

A rook moves horizontally along a rank or vertically along a file. It can travel one square or several in a single move, provided nothing blocks the way. It cannot move diagonally and cannot jump over pieces.

Imagine a white rook on d4, with no pieces along its rank or file. Look for the plus-sign shape: up, down, left and right.

On an otherwise empty board, a rook can reach 14 squares, whether it begins in the centre, on an edge or in a corner. The lines change shape, but the total stays the same. We'll use that observation in our board-vision exercises.

Have a go yourself

Use this board to select the rook on d4, then try moving it to a different square along its rank or file. The other kings are there because this is a normal chessboard rather than a Capture Challenge. Restart whenever you want to explore a different rook move.

A rook can't jump over anything

Here's where we need to pay attention. Imagine the rook is still on d4, but now three pawns stand in its way:

• A white pawn on d6 is a friendly piece. The rook can move to d5, but it cannot move onto d6 or past it. The rook defends the pawn on d6.
• A black pawn on g4 can be captured along the fourth rank, but the rook cannot move beyond g4 in the same move.
• Another black pawn on d2 can be captured down the d-file. The rook cannot pass straight through it.

Try switching between the highlighted moves and attacked or defended squares. Notice that a rook attacks the square occupied by the first piece in its path, whether that piece is friendly or opposing.

This gives us an important distinction: attacking a square is not always the same as being allowed to move onto it. You may attack a square containing one of your own pieces because you are defending that piece, but you cannot capture it.

When a file is open

Remember from Chapter 1 that a file is a column of squares, such as the d-file.

A file is called open when neither player has a pawn on it. Rooks often like open files because pawns cannot block them there. Other pieces can still get in the way, of course.

In the first diagram, the rook on d1 has a clear route up the d-file. In the second, a friendly pawn on d3 interrupts that route. Compare how far the rook can see in each position.

For now, you don't need to know how players fight for open files. Just remember: a clear line gives your rook more possibilities.

Two rooks are better than one

So far we've followed one rook at a time. But you have two, and they can support each other.

Look at the rooks on a2 and h2. With nothing between them, each rook attacks the other's square along the second rank. That means they defend one another. Chess players often call this having connected rooks.

Now put a white pawn on d2, between the rooks. The rook on a2 defends the pawn on d2, but it no longer directly defends the rook on h2. The pawn blocks the line between them.

You don't need to learn advanced ways of combining rooks yet. The idea to take away is straightforward: pieces can work together, but only if the lines between them are clear.

Rook vision: see the whole line

Before we move on, try looking at a rook and mentally tracing the squares it can reach. You don't have to count every square one by one. Look for the horizontal and vertical lines, and stop at the first piece you meet.

For a short practice exercise, return to the blocked rook on d4. Without looking at the highlights, answer these questions:

1. Can the rook reach d7 in one move?
2. Can it capture the black pawn on g4?
3. Which friendly piece is it defending?

Then reveal the highlighted squares to check your thinking. The answers are no, yes and the white pawn on d6.

Capture Challenge: thinking ahead

Now we'll use the rook's straight-line movement for something a little different.

This is a solo chess exercise. You control one white rook, and your goal is to capture all the black pawns. Every move must be a capture. You cannot simply move to a better square between captures, and there are no kings, checks or alternating turns in this challenge.

Before you make a move, look at where your rook will land after each capture. Will it still have a clear line to another target?

If you get stuck, use Undo or Restart. The important part is learning to look further than the next move.

What to remember

• Rooks travel along ranks and files — up, down, left and right — but never diagonally.
• A rook cannot jump over either friendly or opposing pieces.
• A rook may capture the first opposing piece on a clear line, but it cannot go beyond it in the same move.
• A rook defends a friendly piece when it attacks that piece's square. It cannot move onto its own piece.
• An open file has no pawns of either colour on it.
• Two rooks on a clear shared rank or file can defend one another. These are often called connected rooks.
• When examining a rook, follow each straight line until the first piece.

Knowledge check

Before continuing, see what you remember about rook movement, blocked lines, open files and rooks working together. It's fine to look back at the diagrams.