The King: KI

“The King seems to radiate a powerful authority”
 

Your function as King (KI) in a game of Chess is to snatch lighting from the sky and the scepter from the opposing King. The two Kings have a special role in a contest, since the object as laid down in the rules (Level-1), is the  pursuit and checkmate of the enemy King. If you capture all your opponents pieces and the King still remains at large  then you have not won the game. The King must at all costs be protected from attack. Capture of the other pieces may only be a means to facilitate the final chase and submission of the opposing King. The King may move one cell forward, backward, or laterally (sideways). He may capture any one of your opponent's pieces which stand on an adjoining cell to what which he occupies, provided that the piece has been left unprotected. Said piece is to be removed from the board.

The King has the peculiar privilege of being exempt from this indignity (capture, *). Your King is not permitted to move into check, that is, onto any cell which is guarded by a piece of your opponent. He may not be moved to a cell adjacent to that on which the rival King is stationed. If placed in block of cells A, B or C on a vacant board he may move to any of the eight different cells surrounding him. If placed on the side of the board he may move to any of five different cells. If placed in the corners of the board, three cells are at his command. 

"The King never dies"
 (Commentaries on the laws of England)

A King is usually described as a male sovereign or monarch, who holds by life tenure the chief authority over a country and people. The King regards his subjects as his children and admonishes his administrators to observe gentleness in dealing with them. The King seems to radiate a powerful authority and a strange intensity of feeling, characteristic of statuary art. He sits on his throne with his face radiating both authority and love - a haunting beauty - his majestic presence inspiring awe and a sense of mystery. 

"Punctuality is the politeness of Kings"

One of the major pieces in the game of Chess moving one cell in any direction. One of the twelve Chess draught pieces: K1 to K12. The King is known under different names in differing countries -see below. The King in the 13th century was allowed to make a leap, but only once in a game, and from this idea the castling move evolved. You must try to keep your King safe at all times as the aim of the game is to capture the enemy King (++CM).

“That the King can do no wrong, is a necessary and
fundamental principle of the English constitution”
(Commentaries on the laws of England)

At the beginning of a game it is best to move His Majesty to the side of the board by castling. If left in the center he is exposed to assault as the rest of your pieces are developed. He is strongest in the endgame when there are few major and/or minor pieces remaining and can help checkmate the opponent’s King or even win pieces. Your King can only move one cell per move and so has no attacking power during the early part of the game. 

Lit De Justice

The cell on which the King resides (Level-1, $E01). French: the sofa upon which the King of France sat when holding formal sessions of parliament. A game of Chess/session. The King plays two parts in the game, while he is usually passive at first, later he frequently assumes an active role. In fact, in the endgame the King often has great influence as an active major piece. In the middle of the board he controls eight cells, all those in his immediate vicinity, and this is mainly useful in protecting his own pieces and attacking your opponent’s.

In the middle game it is above all the passive function of the King that is predominant. The danger of checkmate not only nearly always prevents him from taking part in the struggle with the enemy pieces but often even compels his own pieces to give him care and protection. Cases where the King supports the other pieces in attack are extremely rare in the middle game. It is much commoner in the middle game for the King's qualities to be turned to advantage in defense, in the protection of his own major and minor pieces.

If a major piece attacks your King, try to interpose a piece that attacks the checking piece if possible. Try to check the opposing King and oblige him to move, thus depriving your adversary’s King of the right to castle (this is considered good play). Sometimes you can give a sequence of checks or even sacrifice a major piece, to force the King into the middle of B$D (rank-8), where the King can be attacked by your other pieces. In the endgame phase your King should be busily engaged and used to compensate for his previous inactivity. The result of a game may depend on your skill in managing the King. 

“Soon there will be only five Kings left:
the King of England, the King of spades, the King of clubs,
the King of hearts and the King of diamonds”.

During the Middle Ages the word ‘scacus’ was used for ‘King’ but, during later periods scacus was used for any of the Chess pieces and its plural ‘scaci’ was used to denote the game of traditional Chess itself. The French retain the plural form ‘les echecs’, and the Italians ‘gli scacchi’. In Ancient Mesopotamia kingship was said to have come from heaven - the King's position was given by the gods and his principal duty is to serve them. As mediators between gods and people King's have an important place and many religious obligations, including the building and maintenance of temples.

Kings are leaders of the national army and shepherds of their peoples and also connected with justice, protection of the poor, widows and orphans. In ancient Israel the sacred character of the monarchy is shown by the fact that monarchs were anointed by YHWH, usually though the medium of a prophet or priest (1-Samuel 10:1). In Israel they were not divine but ruled as YHWH’s servant. The biblical model of monarchy influenced the medieval Christian concept of kingship where the King was held to rule by ‘divine right’.

The King was originally called ‘Rey’ and his movement very restricted (not being allowed to move at all except for the necessity of extricating himself from +CH). In the 13th century he was allowed to move one cell forward but not permitted to move or capture diagonally. Eventually he was allowed to move and capture one cell in any direction which is the way he moves today. The King's range has never extended beyond one cell. 

King: Bible: the word derives from a root meaning to counsel or advise, ‘wise men’. God is called King of Israel, Psalms. Jesus is referred to as King of the Kingdom in the book of Revelation. In civil matters the King is the final court of appeal and sometimes the head of religious orders. King David and King Solomon appointed and dismissed High Priests.

Their officials were the commander-in-chief, captain of the bodyguard, the Kings remembrancer or recorder (Prime Minister), scribe (Secretary of State), the Chamberlain of the household and other minor officials. Magi in the plural: ‘magus’ means ‘wise men.’ King or emperor and often thought of as the embodiment of God. In alchemy, the prima materia. Kingfisher: symbol of marital happiness when seen flying in pairs. King's daughter or princess: symbol of the goal which the hero must reach. King's son or prince: the shining hero. King's path (straight). 

Melchizedek: King of Salem and Priest of God most High (friend of Abraham). The Messiah combined the offices of King and High Priest. Messiah = anointed. In Jewish expectation the Messiah is viewed as God’s instrument (not a divine figure). Zedek is the Hebrew name for Jupiter and means ‘justice’. It is also the root name for the Messiah. Zadik means ‘the just one’. 

Aztecs: appointed a youth King for a year, then tore out his heart. 

Irish myth: Kings and heroes are bound by contradictory ‘geasa’ (plural ‘geis’), or magical prohibitions. To obey one ‘geis’ means to disobey another, leading to fated death. 

Stag-King: also known as the ‘horned god’, ‘green-man’, alias Cernunnos. The tradition of a man wearing stag-skins being chased, killed and eaten (the hunter becoming the hunted) dates back to at least 20,000 BC, as indicated by Paleolithic cave-painting at Altamira in Spain and in the French Ariege. 

Henry-VII: first Tudor King of England (1485-1509) justified his seizure of the throne by claiming descent from King Arthur. Naming his first son Arthur, he damned his predecessor, Richard-III, as a hunchbacked tyrant who had murdered the two young sons in the Tower. 

Geoffrey of Monmouth: Fabulist: euphemerised the Aeneas myth and claimed, in ‘The History of the Kings of Britain’, that the Britons were descended from Brutus, the great - grandson of Aeneas. 

China: Hsi Peh: ‘Chief of the West’ also known as ‘The Literary King’.                            .

Alain le Gros: also known as the fisher King. 

Seelie-Court: The Blessed Court of the Fairies and the Aes Sidhe of Ireland.                  .

Wren: The King of the birds. Kingfisher: also known as the Halcyon (Halcyon Days). 

King's Highway: Situated in the hills of Jordan. 

Egypt: Valley of the Kings. 

Israel: for a time the Israelites were ruled by judges - then they asked for a King. 

Die Fledermaus: opera by Johan Strauss. Comedy, premiered in Vienna in 1874. The final scene sees the company reconciled as friends, singing the praises of King Champagne. 

I Samuel: 10:24 - ‘God save the King’. 

‘God save our gracious King! Long live our noble King’ (attributed).                              .

Erasmus: “Scitum est inter caecos luscum regnare posse”. 

“It is well known, that among the blind the one-eyed man is King”.                               .

Plato: Every King springs from a race of slaves, and every slave has had Kings among his ancestors. 

Shelley: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! - Ozymandias. 

Wesley: Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the new born King.                                .

King Cole: Legendary King. Colchester is named in his honor. 

The Dolphin is called the ‘King of Fishes’ and the ‘Arrow of the Sea’.                            .

King of Misrule: mediaeval and Tudor times (director of horseplay and festivities) at Christmas. A King of Misrule was appointed at the royal court and at Cambridge and Oxford. 

A King Log: a King who rules in peace and quietness (never makes his power felt). 

Pleionosis: exaggeration of one’s own importance (Ozymandia syndrome). Universal to humankind and responsible for titles such as King of Kings, Grand Imperial Wizard, His Royal Highness, the Right Honorable, Learned Gentlemen, Esquire etc. 

Shakespeare, Hamlet: “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a King of infinite space”. 

Dey: titular appellation of the commanding officer of the Janissaries of Algiers and later the sole ruler (King). Governor, pasha, maternal uncle. 

Crocus: from the saffron species the clothes of gods and Kings are made - being ‘gold - yellow’ -  symbol of light and majesty. 

Jewels: symbol of earthly stars/starlets and showgirls etc. Kings and Queens crowns, the breastplate of high priests, fairy tale castles and Holy Jerusalem are encrusted with many types of jewels. 

In old India, the king in Chess was called “k’sh”, and that he connects the word’s meaning to “Kush”. Also, the Indians called the squares of the Chessboard “k’sh-tagara”, which means granary [king’s granary?], or “fertility squares” (connection with fertility and especially with Venus, in all of her various forms). The Mayan name for our sun is Kinich Ahau “k’sh” = “kini’ch”. The Mayan names for the pieces are given below: (from Goddess web page)

You are not permitted to commit suicide in Chess: your King must get out of check when your opponent has designs on the King's life. It is customary in a social setting to announce check, but if you do not do so, the check is still ‘on’ just the same, and your opponent must extricate him/herself immediately. There are three possible ways of getting out of check:

01 Capturing the checking piece. 
02 Moving your King to a cell where he is no longer in check. 
03 Interposing a piece between the King and the checking piece: an interposition.
    (The third scenario is not available when a Knight checks the King.)                            .

If none of the above are available, it is checkmate, which the player announces (avoiding a triumphant tone). This ends the game. A King may never move into check. A King can never move into a cell next to the enemy King. If a King is left in check for even one move, that move and all subsequent moves are void. If the previous position cannot be restored, the whole game is replayed (this highlights the point of making an accurate record of the moves being made during a game). 

King and his court: the dominant ruling power in consciousness whether individual or communal. The final arbiter of values within. The ritual renewal of the King, either by replacement (originally with the sacrifice of the old King) or regeneration, gave rise to much mythology, which provided the ritual words for the occasion. The symbolism around the King remains valid whether an actual King is involved (representing his people) or the myth survived outside its context and was presented as fairy-tales.

The hero or sun King. The weak, feeble King, often with a wicked vizer or prime minister in control. Often the King is in need of renewal. Like Kings, dominant attitudes wear out, get dry and sterile. They become too abstract, meaningless and ineffective, and lose their emotional base. They fail to move. Whether mythical or real, the King may combine the qualities of Hero and Wise Old Man eg, King Arthur, Charlemagne, and perhaps Barbarossa. But of course somebody who is not a King can symbolize this too, such as Sophocles, turning from Generalissimo into poet/playright.

The Court: whether in reality, myth, drama or fairy-tale. Moses was rescued from the bulrushes by Pharaoh’s daughter and brought up in the court.

Caerleon: traditional residence of King Arthur, surrounded by hundreds of knights, 12 of which became the knights of the Round Table.

The City of Legions: where King Arthur held his court.

Socman: the grant of rights of ‘Soc and Sac’ gave feudal authority in the Middle Ages to hold a court under the King. 

The Kings of Sumer and Akkad were masters of the four quarters and at the Heb Sed festival in Egypt the King climbed a four-sided platform, with four stairways and also faced the four directions. As representative of the people, he was responsible for holding together the different ingredients in the fourfold structure of life, whether in the psyche, the community or the cosmos. He is raised on a throne between heaven and earth, holding the orb of the earth, in a jeweled robe that represents the starry night, with the sun as his crown.

The individual’s life was projected on to the King. S/he identified with the King. The whole nation centered its life in the King, from whence life flowed back into man, animal and plant. The King was the focal point for the work and genius of the whole nation. His power to rule depended entirely on the people’s consent to be ruled. 

King/Lion: power. The carnival King usually a criminal, given one day’s rule. This is the tradition of amnesty for criminals. Usurpers to the royal throne or bed - the King's mistresses especially if scheming. The wise Bishop or scheming prelate. Chancellor/Dark Vizer. The fool.

In Alchemy: the King was the human personification of the work, the process of transformation, in four main stages, which were the equivalent of transforming base matter into gold. The lion is called the King of the beasts. It symbolizes strength and power. 

Film: The King and I: 1956 musical starring Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, Rita Moreno, Martin Benson. The charismatic King of Siam falls for his children’s English nanny. Brynner won an Oscar for his performance in this entertaining adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage hit musical. In 1862 the powerful and enlightened King Mongkut of Siam asked Mrs. Leonowens to become the governess to his children. This film tells the story of Siam, a country that knew little of European influence and where the King's power was absolute. However, Mrs. Leonowens was not afraid of him and often argued with him when nobody else dared approach him.

Alexander, King of Macedonia: he had two objectives, the wish to conquer the world and to amass all knowledge. He had the ability to reorganize or redefine the parameters of a problem so that he could personally solve it. 

Shakespeare: ‘Time’s glory is to calm contending Kings, to unmask falsehood, and bring truth to light’. In ancient times Kings were buried with their wives, slaves, horses and chariots. 

King James Bible: English version of the Bible prepared under James-I and published in 1611. 

America: in the American Congress the House Speaker is known as the ‘King of the Hill’. Wen Wang (China) 1231-1135 BC, ‘The Literary King’ who is traditionally regarded as being responsible for the diagrams of the I-Ching or Book of Changes. 

Lludd (Welsh): King of Britain who rebuilt London Town, which is named after him. 

‘King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ 1935-1977: Elvis Presley, born January 8th 1935 to Vernon and Gladys Presley, in a two-room railroad shack in the Mississippi town of East Tupelo. Generally perceived as being a great creative artist who made a significant contribution both through his music and through the symbol that he became. Many tourists are drawn to his resting place in the gardens of his Memphis mansion, Gracelands each year. Died aged 42 years. His memorabilia have fetched enormous sums - jumpsuit ($100,000), black plastic comb ($1,000), Jailhouse rock guitar ($31,050). He made a total of 33 films.

Historical notes

The King was a piece that already appeared in the first variant of Chess: Chaturanga. Its movement nowadays is still the same as it was about one and a half millenniums ago, except for some fine details: castling did not originally exist in the form it is known now. For instance, in the middle ages, sometimes the King could make a ‘Kings leap’, which did not involve a Rook. 

In antiquity, the King was called ‘Shah’ (Arabic for King). The term ‘checkmate’ comes from shah mat (Arabic for ‘the king is dead’). The King is referred to as ‘General’ in Xiangqi, or as ‘Jewelled General’ in Shogi. 

Movement and capture

Kings move (with or without taking) one square in an arbitrary direction. Kings are royal: they may not be moved to a square attacked by a piece of the opponent. When they are attacked by a piece of the opponent, it is called ‘check’, and when in a check that cannot be removed, they are mated, and the game is lost for their owner.

Notes: for more information on the usual Chess King, see Chesmayne Illustrated rules of Chess or the FIDE laws of Chess. 

In Chaturanga the King moves as usual King, but additionally has the right to make one Knight-move during the game, provided that he has not been checked before he makes his Knight-move. Castling doesn’t exist (invented in the middle ages). 

In Shatranj the King moves as usual King, but may not castle. 

In Xiangqi the King may not leave the ‘palace’ (the central 3 x 3 area), and also may not move into the same file (column) as the opposing King (unless there are interposing pieces). 

King graphics

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