Piece basics

On this page we'll explain how the individual chess pieces function in the context of racing kings. Understanding and visualising the function of the pieces is essential to understand game positions and calculate simple tactics or move sequences. Even if you feel like you feel like you already have a good understanding of basic endgames, I'd recommend that you still check out this page to make sure you are able to apply all concepts correctly. After all, playing a solid game not possible without a complete understanding of the fundamentals of the variant.

For most of the explanations on this site we assume that you know what the terms "rank", "file" and "diagonal" mean and that you understand and are fluent in board coordinates and chess notation. If you're unfamiliar with these terms, then make sure to watch this video first. Knowing chess notation and coordinates is crucial to be able to easily communicate about chess moves with other players and unmissable if you want to play chess at your local club or in real life tournaments. You can practice visualising coordinates here.

King only positions

Positions with only both kings on the board are the simplest ones possible in racing kings. They are also the simplest to calculate, as there are no tricks or surprises: all depends on which colour is to move and how far both kings are from the 8th rank. And then there's one more factor that we need to incorporate in our evaluation of the position: the drawrule of racing kings. Is everything clear up to this point? Let's apply it to a couple of positions:

Equal king positions

In this position, both kings are placed on the same rank - in their starting position on the second rank. So what does this mean?

White to move would result in a draw with perfect play. White to gets to advance first, but black can always respond and move their king to the same rank as the white king. Therefore, black can reach the 8th rank on the same move as white and draw the game.
Black to move would mean that black is winning. When moving up the board, black would reach the 8th rank first and end the game immediately.

White is ahead

In this position, white is ahead by one rank: the white king is on the 5th rank, and the black king is placed on the 4th rank.

White to move would be a win for white. White could pull away two ranks above black, and black is unable to reach the 8th rank on the same move as white.
Black to move leads to a draw instead. On their move, black can put their king on the same rank as the white king. Black can reach the 8th move on the same move as white and draw the game.

Black is ahead

So far, we've seen that which colour has the move is crucial. However, it's a different story with this position.

When the black kings is one rank or more above the white king and there are no other pieces on the board, black is always winning regardless of which colour is to move next.
Conversely, if the white king is two ranks or more above the black king and there are no other pieces on the board, white is always winning.

Positions with a single knight

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Positions with a single bishop

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Positions with a single rook

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Positions with a single queen

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