How rooks and bishops move

Chess · Chess basics · ages 6-9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

How does a bishop move?
- On diagonals
- In straight lines
- One square at a time
How many bishops does each player start with?
Answer: ______________
How does a rook move?
- In straight lines
- On diagonals
- In an L-shape
A rook can jump over a piece that is in its way.
Circle one: True False
One of your bishops stays on light squares and the other on dark squares.
Circle one: True False
A bishop sits on a dark square. Which square can it move to?
- Another dark square
- A light square
- Any square
A bishop can change from light squares to dark squares during a game.
Circle one: True False
On an empty board, how many squares can a rook reach from any square it stands on?
Answer: ______________

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

On diagonals · The bishop travels along diagonal lines of one color.
2 · One bishop starts on a light square and the other on a dark square.
In straight lines · The rook slides up and down or side to side.
False · The rook has to stop before any piece blocking its path.
True · That is why the two bishops never meet on the same square.
Another dark square · Diagonals keep a bishop on its own color, so a dark-square bishop lands on dark squares.
False · A bishop stays on its own color the whole game.
14 · It reaches 7 squares one way and 7 the other, which is 14.