How the rook moves
A rook moves horizontally along its rank or vertically along its file, as many squares as it likes. It cannot jump over pieces. On an empty board a rook always controls fourteen squares, from any starting point.
Rooks are the only pieces besides the king involved in castling. When you castle, the king moves two squares toward a rook and that rook jumps to the square the king crossed.
How the rook captures
A rook captures the first enemy piece on its rank or file by moving onto its square. Pieces behind that first one are out of reach until the line clears.
How to use your rooks well
Rooks start in the corners and usually come into play last. Castling and developing your minor pieces clears the back rank so your rooks can see each other. Connected rooks defend one another and can double on the same file.
Put rooks on open files, where no pawns block them, and on half-open files that point at an enemy weakness. A rook on the seventh rank attacks pawns that have not moved and can trap the enemy king. In endgames, the rule of thumb is to place rooks behind passed pawns, your own or your opponent's.
Common mistakes
- Leaving rooks in the corners all game, stuck behind unmoved pieces.
- Moving rook pawns early to bring rooks out via the edge, which usually wastes time and weakens the position.
- Placing a rook in front of a passed pawn instead of behind it in the endgame.
Questions about the rook
Can a rook move diagonally?
No. A rook moves only along ranks and files, in straight lines.
Can you castle with a rook that has moved?
No. Castling requires that neither the king nor the rook involved has moved earlier in the game.
Is a rook worth more than a bishop?
Yes, a rook is worth about five points against about three for a bishop or knight. Winning a rook for a minor piece is called winning the exchange.
Practise every piece on a live board in the rules of chess, and read more about castling.