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Chess 101 Castling


Why castle in chess?
Castling is primarily all about getting your king safe because, usually, the move takes your most important piece out of the center of the board and tucks him away behind a wall of pawns. Castling also helps bring the rook into the game.
But beware, the timing is crucial – sometimes castling may actually put your king in danger. So, as with everything in chess, be careful.

How to castle in chess – the rules

There are a number of rules that apply to make it legal.
Castling can only happen if all of the following conditions are met in a game:
  1. The king has not previously moved;
  2. Your chosen rook has not previously moved;
  3. There must be no pieces between the king and the chosen rook;
  4. The king is not currently in check;
  5. Your king must not pass through a square that is under attack by enemy pieces;
  6. The king must not end up in check.
Do not wait for those conditions to arise out of the opening, you must work to make them happen if you want to castle. 
Most players at beginner/intermediate levels there are three basic aims you should be trying to achieve in the opening. They are:
  1. Occupy the center
  2. Develop your pieces
  3. Get your king safe/castle

King-side castling – White king goes two spaces to his right, and on the other side of the board the Black king can go two spaces to his left. 

 Queen-side castling – similar in that the king moves two spaces but this time the White king goes left and the Black king goes right. 
In both cases, the rook jumps over the king and settles next to him. One thing to remember is that if you want to castle you need to pick up the king first – not the rook. This is very important!
The final positions should look like this if White castled queen-side and Black castled king-side.
If you do not know how each piece moves go back to the first lesson 
The second lesson was on how to Knight moves
References
Watson, L., (2019, May 17). How to castle in chess: Our guide to mastering this special rule. Retrieved from https://www.chessable.com/blog/2019/05/17/how-to-castle-in-chess/
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