Original subtitles

Are you wondering why chess is more exciting than checkers?

Well for one thing

some of the chess pieces

can move a lot farther

than they can in checkers.

Today, you get to be a rook!

"But wait a minute, I want to be a fireman!"

Ok, Ok, you can be a fireman later in life

but today, I just want you to be a rook.

The rook can move in four different directions.

The rook can go up!

The rook can go down!

The rook can go left!

The rook can go right!

And for any of you kids out there

that like to read maps

that would be North, South, East and West.

The rook has lots of choices here.

The rook can go just a little bit

or all the way to the edge of the chessboard!

So, my rook can move up one, that's possible

or all the way to the edge of the board.

Or the rook could have stopped somewhere in between.

For example, the rook could have gone up two squares

or even gone up three squares

it would have been your choice!

Of course, you can't go off the edge of the chessboard

that would be crazy!

In this position

I want you to try to count

how many different squares

the rook can move to?

*pause your video and count!*

What number did you get?

Well, if you got the answer 14

you are on the way

to being a chess master!

Let's count together, one, two, three, and four.

Let's go down five, six, and seven,

but we're not done!

We can go left!

Eight, nine, ten, and eleven.

To the right...

12, 13, and 14.

If you got more than 14

chances are you tried

to count the square the rook starts on

and that doesn't really count.

Are you ready for a challenge question?

The rook is actually able to move to any square

on the chessboard in two turns

no matter which one you pick!

Go ahead!

Think of a square!

Did you think of the square g7?

Well, probably not...

I was just guessing!

But in any case, let's just start with g7

and see if you can make a plan

to get there in two moves.

Now you might think to start

by traveling to the right

but if you go all the way

to the edge of the board

you're not going to be able to get

to g7 on the next turn.

So, let's go back

and maybe find a different way

to get to g7.

Instead, let's go to the right

but let's stop after only 2 squares.

And if we do that

on our next turn

we can travel forward

and land on the red square.

Was there another way to get to g7?

Well, there was, I'm sure you found it!

The rook could go forward

and stop on the square e7

and then to the right and land on g7.

Notice how I'm naming squares!

I'm using the letter first

and the number second.

This square is g7

because it sits on the g "file".

That's what we call the up and down rows, "files"!

And, the square also sits on "rank" number 7

that's what we call side to side rows

we call them "ranks".

The rook had two different ways

to get to g7.

Go ahead, try any other square on the board

and then see if you can figure out a way

for the rook to get there in two moves.

We'll do one more together!

How about a6?

Do you see a way to get there in two moves?

Well, we can go left

all the way to the edge of the board.

And then on the next turn

the rook could travel up and land on a6.

Let's go back!

Of course the other way was to go forward

but stop after only two squares

and then go to the left

and again we land on a6.

The final thing

that I want you to learn about rooks

(before you become firemen that is)

is how the rook is able to capture.

It's actually very simple.

The rook acts a little bit like

a bowling ball and runs over

the enemy piece!

Let's see that in action!

Here, I gave Black two rooks

and White only has one

but that's ok!

We're about to do a couple of captures.

These two Black rooks

are on the same file, the b file.

Let's have the rook on b7

travel down the board

and land on the square, b4.

Now, these two rooks

are aiming at each other.

It's like a game a flashlight tag.

But using my bowling ball idea

here comes the White rook!

The White rook travels all the way over

and when the White rook

runs into a Black piece

he can knock it over

(in this case take it off the board)

but the rook has to stop.

You don't jump over the Black rook

and you certainly don't keep going.

Once you capture an enemy piece in chess

you always have to stop.

You can never capture two pieces at once.

Now it's Blacks turn.

Do you see a way that Black

could capture back the White rook?

Well of course!

This Black rook could

travel up the board

run over the White rook

and then he has to leave the chessboard.

You just saw your very first example

of a "trade".

Each side got a rook!

Let's review what we learned today...

First of all, rooks can go up and down

left and right.

They can go as far as they want to

and they're able to capture

by running into the enemy piece

and taking that piece off the board.

We didn't learn how to become a fireman

maybe we'll do that in our next lesson!

Maybe not...