--- title: "Capture in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/capture.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/capture" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "A capture happens when a piece moves onto a square held by an enemy piece, which is removed from the board as part of the same move." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pawn.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/en-passant.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/check.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/touch-move-rule.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fifty-move-rule.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/algebraic-notation.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/rules-notation.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Capture in chess > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. A capture happens when a piece moves onto a square held by an enemy piece, which is removed from the board as part of the same move. A capture happens when a piece moves onto a square held by an enemy piece, which is removed from the board as part of the same move; the king can be attacked but is never captured. Capturing is how material changes hands. A piece captures by moving to the [square](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/square.md) of an opponent's piece, following its usual movement rules, and the captured piece is removed from the board at once. You cannot capture your own piece. Most pieces capture the way they move, but pawns capture diagonally, one square forward, and not straight ahead, and they have the extra [en passant](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/en-passant.md) capture. Captures are never forced in the Laws, although touch-move can make them compulsory if you have touched an enemy piece with the intention of taking it. The king is the exception to everything: it can be attacked, and attacks on it must be answered, but the Laws forbid capturing it; the game ends at [checkmate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate.md) instead. A capture also resets the count for the [fifty-move rule](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fifty-move-rule.md). In notation an x is optional between the piece and the square, as in Nxf3, and a pawn capture shows the file the pawn came from, as in exd5. Practical habit: before you capture, check what the capture gives up. Is the capturing piece safe afterwards, and does the recapture change the structure? Beginners should always look at the whole sequence of captures on a square. Also called: taking a piece. Also worth reading is [Check](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/check.md). Check is the state of a king that stands attacked by one or more opposing pieces; the player whose king it is must end the attack with the very next move, because no legal move may leave one's own king attacked. Also worth reading is [Pawn](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pawn.md). The pawn moves one square straight forward, or two from its starting square, captures one square diagonally forward, and is exchanged for a queen, rook, bishop or knight on the far rank. Also worth reading is [Touch-move rule](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/touch-move-rule.md). Touch-move is the over-the-board rule that binds a player to a piece once it has been deliberately touched: your own piece has to be moved and an opponent's piece has to be captured, wherever a legal move exists. Once "Capture" is familiar, the next question is what to work on at your rating, which the [improvement plans by rating band](https://georgelichess.com/improve.md) answer with game and puzzle data. ## Related terms - [Pawn](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pawn.md) - [En passant](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/en-passant.md) - [Check](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/check.md) - [Touch-move rule](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/touch-move-rule.md) - [Fifty-move rule](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fifty-move-rule.md) - [Algebraic notation](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/algebraic-notation.md) ## Guides that go further - [How to choose a chess coach](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-choose-a-chess-coach.md): What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid. - [How much does chess coaching cost?](https://georgelichess.com/chess-coaching-cost.md): Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each. - [The first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md): A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li. ## Sources - FIDE Laws of Chess (effective 1 January 2023) (Articles 3.1 and 3.1.1), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/E012023 - FIDE Laws of Chess (effective 1 January 2023) (Article 1.4.1), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/E012023 - FIDE Laws of Chess (effective 1 January 2023) (Appendix C.9), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/E012023 [Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com. ## Related - [Pawn in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pawn.md) - [En Passant: Rule, Diagrams and Mistakes](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/en-passant.md) - [Check in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/check.md) - [Touch-move rule in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/touch-move-rule.md) - [Fifty-move rule in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fifty-move-rule.md) - [Algebraic notation in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/algebraic-notation.md) - [Chess terms: Rules, notation and equipment](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/rules-notation.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)