“Only the player with the initiative has the right to attack.” - Wilhelm Steinitz
During my classes with kids, whenever they got a question right or participated in a class activity, I would tell them or the entire class to give a round of applause to themselves for a job well done. But since this doesn't seem to be too different, I would like to ask if you have been following this learning series right from the beginning down to this point. If you have, please give yourself a round of applause for a job well done. If you missed out on some, check out the previous lesson or check my blog for more.
Moving on, we are going to be looking at those special moves in chess. Those kinds of moves that look like a miracle in the eyes of a beginner, but nothing too fancy in the presence of an experienced player.
Castling - There is no doubt that the king is the most important piece on the chessboard, so keeping it safe from attacks will help prevent you from losing the game. As a result, there is a special move in chess called castling that helps you to do just that. This special move involves the king, rook, and a clear space between them. As it happens to be the only time the king is permitted to move twice, the rook comes over to the other side to stand close to the king. Mindfully, some rules govern this move, castling. And they are:
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Your king cannot castle if it has moved previously
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Your king cannot castle if your rook has moved previously
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Your king cannot castle when under check, that is, being threatened by another piece
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Your king cannot castle if your opponent's piece is controlling any square the king will pass through or land on when castling.
En passant - If you watched the recommended video under the lesson about the pawn, this wouldn't be a new word to you. Either way, en passant is a special way of capturing a pawn with a pawn. The word en passant is French for in passing. In chess, it means to capture your opponent's pawn when they try to sneak it past you by going two steps.
Promotion - Again, this happens when the pawn gets to the end of the chessboard; that pawn has the choice to either be swapped for a queen or rook or knight, or bishop. A pawn never promotes to its fellow pawn or a king.
These are the moves I like to regard as the special moves in chess, especially when you are a beginner. The beauty of these moves is seen when exhibited on a chessboard during a game. So keep an open eye in trying to spot these moves, they could be the deciding factor that will win you the game.
Here is a YouTube video on the three special moves
Keep practising and see you in the next lesson.
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Thanks For Reading!
