Stepsies
For the parent

The chess pieces and their names

Lesson 2 of 20 Age 4+ Time 10 minutes Before this set up the board

In short

Each player has 16 pieces: 1 king, 1 queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights and 8 pawns. The king is the most important piece; the queen is the strongest.

  • King: one square in any direction.
  • Queen: any distance, in a straight line or on a diagonal.
  • Rook: any distance, in a straight line.
  • Bishop: any distance, on a diagonal.
  • Knight: an L shape, and it can jump.
  • Pawn: one square forward (two on its first move); it captures diagonally.
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From the left: rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook.

Teach it

  1. DoPut one of each white piece in a line: king, queen, rook, bishop, knight, pawn.
  2. Say“The king has a cross on top. The queen has a crown with points.”
  3. Say“The rook looks like a castle tower. The bishop has a slit in its hat. The knight is a horse.”
  4. Ask“Which piece is the smallest?”
  5. Child“The pawn. We have eight of them.”
  6. TipHide one piece behind your back and ask which one is missing.
Hand the screen to your child

Your turn!

Tap a bishop.

Three quick questions

  1. How many pawns does each player have?

  2. Which piece looks like a horse?

  3. Which piece has a cross on top?

Practice sheet: Name the pieces

One page, free to print, no sign-in. The answers print on the next page.

Name the piecesName ____________________
  1. a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

    Write the name of this piece.

  2. a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

    Write the name of this piece.

  3. a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

    Write the name of this piece.

  4. a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

    Write the name of this piece.

  5. a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

    Write the name of this piece.

  6. a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

    Write the name of this piece.

Answers: Name the pieces

  1. Rook
  2. Knight
  3. Bishop
  4. Queen
  5. King
  6. Pawn

Questions parents ask

What are the names of the chess pieces?

King, queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawn. Some children call the rook a castle and the knight a horse; the real names are rook and knight.

How many pieces does each player have?

Sixteen: 1 king, 1 queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights and 8 pawns.

Which is the most important piece?

The king. If your king is checkmated, you lose. The queen is the strongest piece.

Rules checked against FIDE Laws of Chess, taking effect from 1 January 2023 (Articles 2.2 and 3) on . Found something to fix? Tell us on the contact page.