Rook (chess)

White rook

131px

Black rook

A rook (from Persian رخ rokh) is a piece in the board game of chess. It gets its name from its name in the old Indo-Persian game (see History of chess). Each player starts the game with two rooks. When recording games, it is shortened to R, and when printed a figurine is used.

Chess pieces
File:Chess kdt45.svg	King	File:Chess klt45.svg
File:Chess qdt45.svg	Queen	File:Chess qlt45.svg
File:Chess rdt45.svg	Rook
	Bishop	File:Chess blt45.svg
	Knight	File:Chess nlt45.svg
File:Chess pdt45.svg	Pawn	File:Chess plt45.svg

Starting place and moving

Moves of the rook

File:Chess zhor 22.png
File:Chess zver 22.png	22px	File:Chess d44.png	22px	22px	22px	File:Chess d44.png	22px	[[Image:chess __ d44.png|22px|alt=h8 __|link=]]	File:Chess zver 22.png
	22px	22px	22px		22px	22px	22px	[[Image:chess oo l44.png|22px|alt=h7 white circle]]
	22px	File:Chess d44.png	22px	22px	22px	File:Chess d44.png	22px	[[Image:chess __ d44.png|22px|alt=h6 __|link=]]
	22px	22px	22px	22px	22px	22px	22px	[[Image:chess xx l44.png|22px|alt=h5 cross]]
	22px	File:Chess d44.png	22px	22px	22px	File:Chess d44.png	22px	[[Image:chess __ d44.png|22px|alt=h4 __|link=]]
	File:Chess d44.png	22px	File:Chess d44.png	22px	File:Chess d44.png	22px	22px	[[Image:chess __ l44.png|22px|alt=h3 __|link=]]
	22px	File:Chess d44.png	22px	22px	22px	File:Chess d44.png	22px	[[Image:chess __ d44.png|22px|alt=h2 __|link=]]
	File:Chess d44.png	22px	File:Chess d44.png	22px	File:Chess d44.png	22px	22px	[[Image:chess __ l44.png|22px|alt=h1 __|link=]]
File:Chess zhor 22.png

In chess notation, the white rooks start on the a1 and h1 squares, and the black rooks start on the a8 and h8 squares.

The rook moves forward or back on the files through any number of squares without other pieces on them, and sideways on the ranks. This is shown in the diagram below. Like other pieces, it captures by going into the square on which an enemy piece stands.

The rook and king also take part in a special move called castling.

A chess castling move

Rook (chess) Media

• 

  Antique Indian Mughal chess elephant made from sandalwood representing the rook

• 19th-century illustration of a siege tower, which the rook may be intended to represent

• The berserker used as a rook in the Lewis chessmen

• 

  Arms of the English family of Rookwood, featuring chess rooks as a cant on the name