The majority of the chess beginners ask many questions as far as moving of chess pieces is concerned, and one the modal question asked is whether a chess piece can move backward.
So, can a chess piece move backward in a chess game? Certainly yes. All chess pieces can move backward except for the Pawns.
Pawns being the only pieces in a chess game that don’t move backward, they move one square forward per turn, however it can move two squares on the first move for each Pawn. Furthermore, Pawns attack in a forward diagonal direction only one space at a time.
Pieces are moved backward if a player’s objective is to defend against the opponent passively.
Chess pieces move backwards in different ways:
- King moves backward one square at a time, and it moves backward when as a standard evasive action to avoid checkmate.
- Queen moves backward in a straight line the same way it moves forward direction in either a diagonal, horizontal or vertical path.
- Rook moves backward in a straight horizontal or vertical line.
- Knights move backward so that it can maneuver its way into an active outpost. (Outpost refers to a square in which any of the opponent player pieces cannot cause a player piece any trouble). In addition, a knight is also moved backward to move to the first rank, to fight incoming threats.
- Bishop moves backward, however it can only move is a diagonal path that stays fixed to the board-color it is locked on.
- A pawn can only move backward if promoted into a Queen after reaching the first rank on the opponent side.
Understanding how chess pieces move is important to formulate a clearcut winning strategy during the game. Answered below are frequently asked questions to help you understand which chess pieces move backwards and how the reverse on the board.
What Chess piece can move backward?
All Chess pieces (Bishop, Rook, Queen, Knight, and King) can move backward except the Pawns, which can only move forward either straight or diagonal when attacking.
The Queen is the most powerful piece in the game because a Queen moves in all directions in a straight line, including backward. As the piece moves backward, a Queen kills and captures all the pieces that it encounters.
A Knight has a unique ability as it moves backward because it can jump all the other pieces as it moves backward. To complete a back move, a Knight must move two squares backward and one square perpendicularly, either on the left or right side.
The purpose of moving a Knight backward can be to maneuver space to become an Outpost space, protect the player pieces from disturbances from opponent pieces, or safeguard pieces on the first rank from an attack.
A Rook and Bishop, moves backward on a straight line to prevent back rank threat. Rooks move horizontally and vertically, while Bishops move diagonally and stay fixed on one color the entire game.
The King can move backward one square at a time and is typically used to block an opponent’s Pawn from going further or reaching the first rank on the other side.
Can you move a horse backward in Chess?
Absolute yes! The horse piece or Knight moves in a L-shaped layout. The Knight moves two squares back, and then it must turn one square to either the left or right side to complete the L-shape.
The square must be perpendicular in either direction with both two squares. The horse piece is the only piece in the chess game that allows jumping over other pieces in gameplay.
Therefore, the Knight can jump pieces backward to a strategic position as long as the rules regarding its moves are concerned.
A Knight can move backward for two reasons during a chess game.
- A knight that has been moved backward can turn into a defensive Outpost that protects the player’s pieces from unsupported attacks.
- A knight can be jumped backward (provided the knight moves rules are followed) to the Player’s first rank to protect pieces from threatening the King.
Do Pawns move backward in Chess?
No, pawns are the only piece in Chess that cannot move backward. In general, Pawns move forward one square at a time.
However, the rules change a little bit for the first move of each Pawn is made because, in that scenario, a Pawn is allowed to move two squares forward.
Note that a Pawn advance to two squares upfront only in the first move, a player cannot move a Pawn for two square to jump a square occupied by the opponent piece. Once a Pawn meets an opponent piece along the way, the pawn is blocked.
As Pawns move forward, they cannot capture other opponent pieces in the same direction in which they move. Pawns capture forward diagonally either to the right or left, but not backward.
Note, Pawns don’t move diagonally, only that they capture diagonally, and it captures only one square diagonal to the square it occupies forward and not backward.
Can you reverse in Chess?
Yes, a player can reverse in chess, especially if they have made a mistake and want to undo the last move. That is only allowed if the players are playing a takeback game and the opponent has not moved yet, however no reverse is allowed in tournament gameplay.
The takeback type of chess is always unrated but is typically used by beginners as a guide to furthering their skills.
The action undoes the previous move done by an opponent player. The action returns the player’s turn and allows them to reverse the move.
Moving Backwards in Chess: Conclusion
All pieces in a chess game move backward, apart from pawns that only move forward. Pawns only move forward until the are promoted to any of the other pieces in game when they reach the 8th rank.
A Knight is the only chess piece allowed to jump over other pieces both forwards and backwards. However, the piece moves backward in a special move that resembles an L-shaped layout.
Bishops, Rooks, Queens and Kings can all move backwards. Bishops move diagonally within the colored squares that they are fixed to, while Rooks move both horizontally and vertically.
Queens and Kings move in horizontal, vertical and diagonal directions, however the Queen can move multiple spaces at one time while the King can only move one square.
In a chess game, a player cannot reverse a bad move unless the game is being played on a computer or with a willing opponent. In a game of live chess such as a tournament, once a player has made a move, it becomes permanent, and they have to wait for the next turn. a player has to be very keen before making a move in a competitive game.
The takeback setup is played by beginners, which helps to guide the player to play a chess game. The action of undoing moves using the setup helps to eventually learn strategic thinking, which helps with real chess matches.
Understanding the movements of the chess pieces allows you to actively play the game and formulate a winning strategy. The only piece that doesn’t move backwards is a Pawn, but the Pawn is a powerful piece when used to your advantage.