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How does the king move in chess?

The king moves one square in any direction: up, down, sideways or diagonally.

The king can never move onto a square the enemy attacks, and the two kings can never stand next to each other.

Once per game the king may also castle with a rook (see castling). Losing the king is losing the game, so you never actually capture it: you checkmate it.

Try it

♔♟

Move the king to every circled square (f7) in as few moves as you can.

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Every position here is a lesson from the course, checked by its rules engine. Part of Chess Path, a free chess course. Free coach for your Chess.com and Lichess games.