Kings, Knights, and Pawns

Start Here beginner branch

Kings step one square, knights hop in an L-shape, and pawns march forward with their own special rules.

Why This Matters

  • Kings are precious: they step only one square and cannot walk into an attacked square.
  • Knights move in an L-shape and are the only pieces that can jump over other pieces.
  • Pawns move forward, capture diagonally, may move two squares on their first move, and can promote when they reach the end.

Objectives

  • Move the king one square in any direction without walking into danger.
  • Use the knight's L-shape jump over other pieces.
  • Explain pawn direction, the double-step from the starting square, diagonal captures, and a first look at promotion.

Guided Interactive Lesson

Step 0 of 7
Try to play move 1:(Expected idea from lesson line)

Lesson Line

  1. Nf3
  2. Kd7
  3. e4
  4. Ke6
  5. Ke2
  6. h5
  7. e5

Practice Positions

Find the move yourself — the answer stays hidden until you solve it or reveal it.

Practice 1 of 5

Knights can jump. Hop the knight from b1 to c3 over the pawn wall.

Practice 2 of 5

Kings move one square at a time. Step the king from e1 to e2.

Practice 3 of 5

Push the white pawn two squares from e2 to e4.

Practice 4 of 5

The pawn cannot capture straight ahead on e5, but it can capture diagonally forward. Take the black knight on d5.

Practice 5 of 5

Push the pawn to the last rank and promote it to a queen.

Mini-Game

Try legal king, knight, and pawn moves only. Notice that the knight can hop, kings step one square, and pawns only march forward.

Printable Move-by-Move Boards

Print one board per step to review the full sequence offline.

Open printable version