What Does Castling Mean In Chess?

It is the name of a special move in chess. It is a special defensive manoeuvre. It is the only move in the game where two pieces can be moved in a single turn. It involves the king and either of the rooks of the same colour. It is recent innovation to the game which was introduced during the 14th or the 15th century by the Europeans. The Asian versions of the game do not have such a move. The motive behind its introduction was speeding up the game and to balance the offense and defense. It is known as Rochieren/Rochada in the non-English speaking nations.

It can be used only under certain circumstances and several rigid conditions like the player has never moved the king, he has never moved the rook involved in castling, no pieces lie between the king and the rook, both the king and the rook are of the same rank, the king is not under check currently and so on. It is of great help during defensive strategy.

When you move your King 2 squares to the left or right and make your rook/castle jump over it to protect it.