Any chess piece can "kill" or capture a king in chess, ultimately leading to the end of the game. The idea of "killing" a king is symbolic, as the king cannot truly be captured. When a king is under immediate attack, also known as "check," the player in control of the king must take action to move out of check. If a king cannot move out of check, block the attack, or capture the attacking piece, the king is said to be checkmated and loses the game.
How a King is Defeated in Chess
Although we commonly use the term "kill" in the context of a chess game, a king is not literally killed or captured; it's about checkmate. Here's how it plays out:
- Check: When a king is under direct attack by an opposing piece, it is called "check".
- Escaping Check: The player whose king is in check must immediately remove it from the line of fire. This can be done by:
- Moving the king to a safe square.
- Capturing the attacking piece.
- Blocking the attack with another piece.
- Checkmate: If the king is in check and there is no way to get it out of check, it's "checkmate." The game is over, and the player whose king was checkmated loses.
According to reference information, a king can be “killed or captured by any given opposition chess piece during gameplay in a chess game”. To end a chess match, any chess piece can strike a decisive blow on the rival king, from the pawn to the queen.
List of Chess Pieces That Can Checkmate a King
| Chess Piece | Can Checkmate? |
|---|---|
| Pawn | Yes |
| Knight | Yes |
| Bishop | Yes |
| Rook | Yes |
| Queen | Yes |
Essentially, any opposing chess piece on the board has the potential to checkmate the king.
Practical Example:
Let's say the white queen attacks the black king and the king has no safe move, no piece can capture the queen, and no piece can block the attack. In this case, the black king is checkmated.
The critical takeaway is that the king's "death" or capture is a metaphorical concept, and the game's end is determined when a checkmate occurs. All the chess pieces contribute to the end of the game if they can checkmate the king.
