Rook

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The Rook moves in a straight line horizontally or vertically as far as it wants until it is blocked by another piece.

If it can reach a square where an opponent's piece sits, it can capture it.

Please note that it could also move somewhere else or the player could move another piece: capturing is not mandatory.

## Notes

* There are four Rook in total on the chessboard.
* There are 2 Rooks on each side (White and Black).
* A Rook worth 5 points (Second most points in all of the pieces).
* Rook can move horizontal and vertical.
* Rook can castle with the King only when it not moved.(king have to make it.)

## Tips on protecting your Rook.

* If possible, castle.
* Use a knight or a bishop in close to the Rook so that they can protect your Rook without being captured.
* Rooks are strongest when they protect each other - this is known uniting or doubling rooks. You should try to unite your rooks along the back rank as early as possible. If you look at the starting position, you'll notice that the rooks are the only pieces on the board that are completely unprotected to begin with. Uniting rooks reduces the possibility of an unprotected rook being picked off by the enemy queen, and also helps to guard your back rank. Another reason to unite your rooks is so that they can compete with the enemy rooks for open files.
* Try to let other pieces ( less important ) block from letting it capture

## Trivia

* These are the only two pieces permitted to move strictly along straight lines in the four cardinal directions. They represent our physical power to act in concert with the world's material structures.
* The white rooks start on squares a1 and h1, while the black rooks start on a8 and h8. The rook moves horizontally or vertically, through any number of unoccupied squares (see diagram). As with captures by other pieces, the rook captures by occupying the square on which the enemy piece sits. The rook also participates, with the king, in a special move called castling.

## Placement

* In the opening, the rooks are blocked in by other pieces and cannot immediately participate in the game; so it is usually desirable to connect one's rooks on the first rank by clearing all pieces except the king and rooks from the first rank and then castling. In that position, the rooks support each other, and can more easily move to occupy and control the most favorable files.

* A common strategic goal is to place a rook on the first rank of an open file (i.e. one unobstructed by pawns of either player), or a half-open file (i.e., one unobstructed by friendly pawns). From this position, the rook is relatively unexposed to risk but can exert control on every square on the file. If one file is particularly important, a player might advance one rook on it, then position the other rook behind – doubling the rooks.

* A rook on the seventh rank (the opponent's second rank) is typically very powerful, as it threatens the opponent's unadvanced pawns and hems in the enemy king. A rook on the seventh rank is often considered sufficient compensation for a pawn (Fine & Benko 2003:586). In the diagrammed position from a game between Lev Polugaevsky and Larry Evans,[3] the rook on the seventh rank enables White to draw, despite being a pawn down (Griffiths 1992:102–3).

* Two rooks on the seventh rank are often enough to force victory, or at least a draw by perpetual check.[4]