Check and getting out of it
When the king is attacked and the three ways to escape.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Can explain Check and getting out of it
The lesson
A king is in check when another piece is attacking it. Check is a warning: your king is in danger right now and you must deal with it this turn.
There are three ways to get out of check. You can move the king to a safe square. You can put one of your own pieces in the way to block the attack. Or you can capture the piece that is giving check.
You are never allowed to leave your own king in check. If a move would do that, it is not a legal move.
Set up a king with an enemy rook checking it along a row. Find all three answers: a square to run to, a piece to block with, and a way to take the rook.
Check means the king is under attack, and you must move, block, or capture to get out of it.
Watch it
Where it sits
This opens up
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.