What Is a Rook in Chess? Learn How to Move Rooks

Though commonly represented in chess sets as a tower or castle, in earlier forms of the game the rook was symbolized by a chariot. (The modern name comes from rukh, the Persian word for chariot.)

In terms of relative value, a rook is considered a major piece. It’s normally valued at five pawns, two pawns more than a bishop or knight (considered minor pieces) and slightly less than two bishops or two knights. Two rooks are considered slightly stronger (by one pawn) than a single queen. In fact, after the queen, it’s the most valuable non-king piece in the board game.

Each player begins the game with two rooks, one on each side of the board. Rooks start at each edge of the board -- the white rooks on a1 and h1, the black rooks on a8 and h8.

A rook may along ranks or files (that is, horizontally or vertically) any number of occupied spaces per move. Like other pieces, the rook captures an opposing piece by occupying its space. The ability to move any number of squares in a straight line makes the rook a formidable piece in a chess game, but that power often takes several turns to carefully develop from their starting position.

One of the most basic rules of chess is that you can only move a single piece at a time. This applies in every situation, except for one special move: castling. This exceptional move in the game of chess is an important strategic tool that helps protect your king while also developing one of your rooks. Just be aware that the enemy king will likely try to castle at some point as well.

Simply put, castling is a special rule that allows your king to move two spaces to its right or left, while the rook on that side moves to the opposite side of the king. There must be a number of unoccupied squares between the rook and the king, and, critically, the rook and king cannot have moved from their starting positions.

FIDE, the international organization governing the rules of chess, defines castling this way: “This is a move of the king and either rook of the same color along the player’s first rank, counting as a single move of the king and executed as follows: the king is transferred from its original square two squares towards the rook on its original square, then that rook is transferred to the square the king has just crossed.”

Rooks are some of the most powerful pieces on the board, but unlike other pieces it can require careful planning to develop them effectively. The rook’s inability to move diagonally or skip over pieces means it may be hemmed in for much of the opening. Enemy pawns may not be able to stop your rook, but they can limit its mobility. This is why rook development is a key part of many openings.

Castling also allows you to connect your rooks (or “get them chatting,” as some players like to say). Rooks that are connected (also called “communicating” or “chatting”) have an open rank between them. This frees them to patrol the rank, supporting other pieces freely while protecting one another from enemy pieces.

Rooks are known to shine in the endgame. Many foundational chess endgames involve rooks or rooks and pawns. These situations can be highly choreographed affairs, often requiring dozens of moves before checkmate can be achieved. There are hundreds of manuals out there explaining endgame tactics, and it may be worth your while to pick a few and study the practice positions and puzzles you find there. At the very least, memorizing the Philidor Defense and Lucena Positions will give you some sense of the intricacies that go into rook endings.

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