Chess Moves: Complete List, Special Moves & Checkmates

A move in chess refers to any legal movement of a piece on the board: from ordinary moves to special moves such as castling, en passant or promotion. This page brings together the complete list of moves, their algebraic notation, the special moves you need to know and the most famous checkmates to help you improve quickly.

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The essentials
• Algebraic notation: the universal system that records each move with a column (a-h) and a row (1-8).
• Special moves: castling, en passant and promotion change the dynamics of a game.
• Famous checkmates: Scholar’s mate, back-rank mate, Legal’s mate and smothered mate — patterns worth recognising.
• Tactics: fork, pin, skewer and sacrifice to win material.
• Five-letter word: « check » has five letters, a classic crossword answer linked to chess moves.
• Best move: it always depends on the position; daily tactical puzzles help you find it.

Updated on 21 October 2026: Clarified the title, meta description and introduction to better match search intent.

Table of contents

Algebraic notation: the language of chess

Before listing the moves, it helps to understand how they are recorded. Algebraic notation is the universal system used to record a chess game. Each square on the board is identified by a letter (a-h for the columns) and a number (1-8 for the rows).

Symbol	Piece	Example
K	King	Ke2 = the king moves to e2
Q	Queen	Qh5 = the queen moves to h5
R	Rook	Ra1 = the rook moves to a1
B	Bishop	Bc4 = the bishop moves to c4
N	Knight	Nf3 = the knight moves to f3
(none)	Pawn	e4 = the pawn moves to e4

Special symbols: x = capture, + = check, # = checkmate, O-O = kingside castling, O-O-O = queenside castling, =Q = promotion to queen.

How each piece moves

Each piece moves according to precise rules. Understanding the move of each piece is the first step towards setting up your pieces correctly and building a strategy.

Piece	Movement	Value	Special feature
King	1 square in any direction	∞	Cannot move into check. Can castle.
Queen	Any direction, unlimited squares	9 pts	The most powerful piece in the game.
Rook	Ranks and files, unlimited	5 pts	Takes part in castling with the king.
Bishop	Diagonals only, unlimited	3 pts	Always stays on the same colour of square.
Knight	In an « L » shape (2+1 or 1+2)	3 pts	The only piece that can jump over others.
Pawn	1 square forward (2 on its first move)	1 pt	Captures diagonally. Can be promoted.

Special moves

Beyond the basic moves, chess has special moves that radically change the dynamics of a game. Mastering them is essential for improving your play.

♖ Kingside castling (O-O)

The king moves 2 squares towards the kingside rook, and the rook jumps to the other side. Conditions: neither the king nor the rook has moved, no square crossed is under attack, and the king is not in check. This is the most important defensive move in the game.

♖ Queenside castling (O-O-O)

Same principle but towards the queenside rook (the one further away). The king moves to c1 (or c8), the rook to d1 (or d8). Rarer than kingside castling as it leaves the king on a more open file, but useful for quickly activating the rook.

♟ En passant

When a pawn advances 2 squares from its starting position and ends up next to an opposing pawn, that pawn can capture it « en passant », as if it had only advanced one square. This move must be played immediately on the next move, otherwise the right is lost. To learn more about this lesser-known move, its precise conditions and the pitfalls to avoid, see our article on en passant in chess.

♕ Promotion

When a pawn reaches the last rank (the 8th for White, the 1st for Black), it must be promoted to a queen, rook, bishop or knight. In 99% of cases, the queen is chosen — the most powerful piece. This is written e8=Q.

Famous checkmates to know

Checkmate ends the game. Here are the most famous chess moves that lead to checkmate:

⚔ Scholar’s mate

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Qh5 Nf6?? 4.Qxf7# — The queen captures on f7, protected by the bishop. Checkmate in 4 moves! This is the best-known trap for beginners. To defend against it, simply play 3…g6.

⚔ Back-rank mate

The rook or queen delivers checkmate to a king trapped on the last rank by its own pawns. To avoid this, create a « luft » by advancing a pawn (g3 or h3). This is the most common mistake in blitz.

⚔ Legal’s mate

A spectacular queen sacrifice followed by checkmate with the minor pieces. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Bg4 4.Nc3 g6? 5.Nxe5! Bxd1?? 6.Bxf7+ Ke7 7.Nd5#. A classic from the history of chess.

⚔ Smothered mate

The knight delivers checkmate to a king surrounded by its own pieces. The king cannot escape because it is « smothered ». This is a frequent tactical motif that often requires a preliminary queen sacrifice to draw the pieces around the king.

Tactical combinations

Beyond checkmates, tactical moves are forcing sequences that win material or advantage. Mastering them is key to improving at chess. To explore these and many other patterns in depth, see our full guide to chess tactics.

Tactic	Principle	Example
Fork	One piece attacks 2 opposing pieces at the same time	Knight on c7 attacking the king on e8 and the rook on a8
Pin	A piece is immobilised because it is shielding a more valuable piece behind it	Bishop on g5 pinning the knight on f6 against the queen on d8
Skewer	Attack along a line: the valuable piece is in front and must move, exposing the one behind	Rook attacking a king that, on moving, exposes the queen
Sacrifice	Voluntarily giving up material to gain an advantage (attack, mate, position)	Bishop sacrifice on h7 to open up the opponent’s castled king
Deflection	Forcing a defensive piece away from its post	Drawing the opposing queen away from defending the king
Attraction	Forcing the king or a piece onto an unfavourable square	Sacrifice to draw the king into the centre of the board

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Expert tip: The best way to learn chess moves is to solve tactical puzzles every day. Sites such as Chess.com and Lichess offer free puzzles suited to your level. Our electronic chess boards also include tactical exercises built directly into the board.

Special endgame situations

⚠ Stalemate (a draw)

If it is your turn but you have no legal move available and your king is NOT in check, this is stalemate — a draw. Beware: a player in a dominant position can accidentally stalemate their opponent and lose the win!

🏆 Perpetual check

If a player can give check indefinitely with no way for the opponent to escape it, the game is drawn. This is often the only resource for a player in an inferior position — a « rescue » through perpetual check.

📏 The 50-move rule

If 50 consecutive moves are played without a capture or pawn move, a player may claim a draw. This rule prevents games from dragging on indefinitely in positions where checkmate cannot be forced.

🔄 Threefold repetition

If the exact same position occurs 3 times in the game (same pieces, same side to move, same castling rights), a player may claim a draw. This is often used in endgames where neither side can make progress.

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Delphine D., editorial team at Le Palais des Échecs, a French shop specialising since 2008 in chess sets and wooden chess boards. Our guides are based on our customers’ questions, the official FIDE rules, and the products we sell and measure ourselves. They are reviewed and updated regularly. The editorial team

Learning the classic openings

The first moves of a game form the opening. Each opening has a name and a strategic logic. Here are the most commonly played sequences:

Opening	Moves	Idea
Italian Game	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4	Classic development, pressure on f7
Ruy Lopez	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5	Pressure on the c6 knight, strategic play
Sicilian Defence	1.e4 c5	Black’s counter-attack, creating imbalance
Queen’s Gambit	1.d4 d5 2.c4	Control of the centre with pawns