Using your King

I have a strange and possibly stupid question about chess that I have been thinking about.

Keep in mind my rank is low, so I honestly dont know the answer.

Here it is.

After castling, and throughout the game, is it useful to use your King to do things like take pieces or help with a checkmate?

I understand there is risk with this, as your opponent can easily check you if you are not careful,  but I am just curious.

Any thoughts?

Jared

Once the queens are off it's pretty safe to nudge your king, but before that it's dodgy

In the end game it is usually vital for the king to take an active part in the game.  If you're not careful with any moves you can get checkmated, not just being active with your king.

In the endgame the King becomes an attacking piece!

"Leaders lead by example"

The King is the leader of the army. It makes no sense for him to sit on the sidelines and do nothing.

This is why all modern nations go to war with their King or President leading the attack

Look up the game Short vs Timman in the year 1991. As potential mating threats to your king decreases, it will become more important to get the king involved in the game as a fighting piece.

The Short - Timman game is a classic. But one reason it's a classic is because of how rarely it's a good idea to march your king down the board and into the enemy position when your opponent still has his rooks and queen!

Yes, the King is quite a powerful piece. But I would not recommend fighting with the king until late mid-game or so. If you are going to use the king, you must look out for forks (usually from the knights) and skewers (usually from rooks or bishops). Under safe circumstances, the King can be used to slay pawns from the back rank, and occasionally to fork pieces (two knights or B+N can sometimes be caught together with the king). Do not use the King as a warrior if the opponents Queen is active (there are exceptions!)

Moving your king EARLY is rarely considered a good idea, and could lead to a very quick checkmate. Some players move their king around at the start for a humorous effect, and others (a few) incorporate early King moves as part of their opening repertoire (perhaps for the shock effect that is experienced by their opponent).

Hope this helps! =)

-Lukay

Your king is liable to get checkmated if you bring it out while your opponent still has a lot of pieces.

But during the endgame, the king becomes a very valuable piece and can help attack your opponent's pawns or facilitate the advancement of your own pawns.

A king in the centre can be a decisive advantage in the endgame and a decisive disadvantage in the middlegame

 

exactly.