Castling
If you're new to chess, castling may seem like an illegal move because two pieces move simultaneously. However, it is a legal and very important move in chess!
Castling is the only time in chess when two pieces can move at once and when a piece, other than the knight, can move over another piece. The king moves two spaces to the left or right, and the rook moves over and beside the king, all in one move.
💡 Try out this FREE lesson to learn more about castling: Lesson on Castling
Rules for castling
You can’t castle any time you want to, though! The rules for castling can be confusing at first, but once you understand them it is an incredibly useful tool for keeping your king safe!
Condition
|
Information |
Your king can not have moved | Once your king moves, you can no longer castle, even if you return the king to its starting square. Many strategies aim to force the opponent's king to move for this reason. |
Your rook can not have moved | If you move your rook, you can’t castle on that side anymore. Both the king and the rook involved in castling must not have moved. |
Your king can NOT be in check | Though castling often looks like an appealing escape, you can’t castle while you are in check!
Once you are out of check, you can castle. Being checked does not remove the ability to castle later. |
Your king can not pass through check
| If any square the king moves over or moves onto would put you in check, you can’t castle. You’ll have to deal with the attacking piece first.
In the picture below, White is not allowed to castle through the bishop's check on f1:
Keep in mind the rook is not restricted in the same way as the king, so it can move through a square that is under attack, as shown in the diagram below:
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No pieces can be between the king and rook | All the spaces between the king and rook must be empty. This is why it’s so important to get your pieces into the game as soon as possible! |
📰 Check out this article to learn more about Castling: How to Castle in Chess?
How to castle on Chess.com
Simply click or drag the king two spaces to the left or right, or drag the king on top of the rook you want to castle with. The rook will jump across and to the other side of the king automatically!
💡 You can’t castle by clicking the king and then the rook. This method, known as 'Legacy castling,' is not the default way to castle, but can be enabled in the 'Board and Pieces' settings.
Castling methods
By default, you can click or drag pieces, but if you prefer to use only one method, you can customize this in your 'Board and Pieces' settings. Simply select your preferred option from the 'Move Method' dropdown menu:
📚 Check out this article to learn how to customize your Board and Pieces: How do I change my background, board, and pieces?
Legacy castling
You can enable Legacy castling—clicking on the king and then the rook—by going to your 'Board and Pieces' settings and selecting 'Legacy' in the 'Castling method' dropdown:
