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Reference / Chess

King safety

Concept, beginner

Also called Castle early.

Keep the king sheltered, usually by castling, until the endgame.

In the opening and middlegame the king is a target, so tuck it behind pawns, usually by castling. In the endgame, with the queens gone, it becomes a strong piece and should come to the centre.

Learn and practise it

Related

  • CastlingThe king moves two squares towards a rook, and the rook jumps over to the other side, in one move.
  • DevelopmentBringing pieces from their starting squares into play, usually knights and bishops first.
  • Back-rank mateA rook or queen mates a king trapped on its back rank by its own pawns.