# The Two-rooks Rule in Chess **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [January 21, 2001, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084 "2001-01-21T02:26:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Netbrian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71e660/32.png) [@Netbrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Netbrian)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/61 "2005-01-27T06:03:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Mr. Potter recieves quite enough acclamation on his own merits, thank you. There’s no need to give him credit properly due to Mr. Ronald Weasley. It’s my suspicion, incidentally, that the transfigured pieces deliberately played into a position where Mr. Weasley’s sacrifice could win the game: They were, after all, produced by the head of Griffindor house, that being the house which values bravery. Am I the only person that, after finishing the book, was disappointed that the author flagrantly flouted convention and did not include a transcription of the entire chess game as an appendix? ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/62 "2005-01-27T13:25:41Z")
> [@Netbrian](#): > > Am I the only person that, after finishing the book, was disappointed that the author flagrantly flouted convention and did not include a transcription of the entire chess game as an appendix? I’m with you on this one! It would have been quite easy (I imagine) for JKR to dredge up a famous game played in which a knight sacrifice forced victory. This is, it appears, a fairly standard practice when a chess match is integral to the plot of a book/film/whatever, e.g. the James Bond film From Russia With Love (1963). See: [http://www.xs4all.nl/~timkr/chess2/diary13txt.htm](http://www.xs4all.nl/~timkr/chess2/diary13txt.htm) item 250 for more details. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/63 "2005-01-27T14:17:38Z")
> [@Netbrian](#): > > Am I the only person that, after finishing the book, was disappointed that the author flagrantly flouted convention and did not include a transcription of the entire chess game as an appendix? I think an English GM was asked to come up with the required positions - I’ll ask him when I next see him. ---
**Author:** ![Netbrian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71e660/32.png) [@Netbrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Netbrian)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/64 "2005-01-29T07:23:20Z")
> [@Dead Cat](#): > > I’m with you on this one! It would have been quite easy (I imagine) for JKR to dredge up a famous game played in which a knight sacrifice forced victory. This is, it appears, a fairly standard practice when a chess match is integral to the plot of a book/film/whatever, e.g. the James Bond film From Russia With Love (1963). See: > > [Open chess diary 241-260](http://www.xs4all.nl/~timkr/chess2/diary13txt.htm) > > item 250 for more details. That would have worked just great – I knew it was generally customary that when one has a chess game mentioned much in the plot, one includes the whole thing at the back. Of course, had they used your method, we would have been wondering how Ron Weasley suddenly learned how to play like a Chess Master at such a young age. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kefn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f05b48/32.png) [@kefn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kefn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/66 "2005-03-13T17:42:02Z")
Chess is my game so listen well… This is not a “real rule” castleing is the only FIDE accepted move of two pieces at once and is as one poster noted very common, it is a teriffic defence in most systems of play. The unusaul and little known chess move is called En-Passent, this allows a pawn to take a pawn directly beside itself. It calls for very specific timing and circumstances but it is legal if these conditions are met. If you care to know about the rule just look it up on the net it won’t be hard. I’m rated about 1600 in chess and almost every person I’ve ever played is totally oblivious to this rule so i don’t even use it outside of tournaments. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/67 "2005-03-14T14:10:54Z")
> [@adaggio](#): > > There is a rule that allow player to eat the figure which is in bad situation.After that you can replace it with any given figure in stack. > This rule exists since 1907 and is rarely used but I heard somehere that Kassparov once used it. > > P.S > You must eat it either with jam or ketchup.Otherwise it won’t be honoured. Those who live by the sword shall perish by the sword. Those who post chess gibberish shall be banned! ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/68 "2005-03-14T14:16:32Z")
> [@kefn](#): > > The unusaul and little known chess move is called En-Passent, this allows a pawn to take a pawn directly beside itself. It calls for very specific timing and circumstances but it is legal if these conditions are met. If you care to know about the rule just look it up on the net it won’t be hard. I’m rated about 1600 in chess and almost every person I’ve ever played is totally oblivious to this rule so i don’t even use it outside of tournaments. En passant occurs when: - one player moves a pawn two squares (obviously the first move of that pawn) - his opponent could have captured it with a pawn if it had moved one square In this case, provided he does it immediately, the opponent may capture the pawn as if it had moved just one square. An example would be 1. e2-e4 h7-h6 2. e4-e5 d7-d5 3. e5xd6 (en passant) I’m rated about 2300 in chess and almost every person I’ve ever played is totally familiar with this rule… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/69 "2005-03-14T20:50:26Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I’m rated about 2300 in chess and almost every person I’ve ever played is totally familiar with this rule… 😃 Hi, **glee**. I’m rated about 500 points lower, as you know, and have played players 500 points below me, and have yet to run across one who doesn’t know this elementary chess rule. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/70 "2005-03-14T23:57:56Z")
“Knowing” it is different from “remembering” it. I “know” it, but I only “remember” it when the chess software towel-snaps me with it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/71 "2005-03-15T01:12:10Z")
> [@Duck Duck Goose](#): > > “Knowing” it is different from “remembering” it. I “know” it, but I only “remember” it when the chess software towel-snaps me with it. 😃 That’s a point well taken. I’ve had opponents who completely overlooked the fact that I could take e.p., much to their dismay. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/72 "2005-03-15T06:45:05Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > There was a chess-like PC game called Archon which used this idea. When a player moved a piece into an occupied square, the game shifted to another screen where the two pieces fought for possession of the square. Another interesting variation of this game was that the game proceeded through a cycle of turns going through day and night and back. The two sides were supposed to be good and evil and their powers varied based on light or dark it was during the current turn. So a capture that might be easy at “noon” would probably fail at “midnight”. Archon was the first PC-centric game I ever played. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/73 "2005-03-15T09:44:58Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > Hi, **glee**. I’m rated about 500 points lower, as you know, and have played players 500 points below me, and have yet to run across one who doesn’t know this elementary chess rule. I was just having a gentle poke at kefn’s earlier post… ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/74 "2005-03-15T21:15:03Z")
My days of playing rated chess are 1/3 of a century in the past, but I was rated in the low 1700s when I quit. From my recollection of those distant days: 1. Rated chessplayers - even people whose rating was just barely into 4 digits - reliably knew the _en passant_ rule. 2. Ditto unrated players with a skill level comparable to that of a 1500+ rated player. 3. Below that, knowledge of the rule diminished rapidly with skill level. An unrated player with ~1200 strength probably had heard of it, and knew it had something to do with pawns, but wouldn’t be able to apply the rule on his own. ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084/75 "2005-03-15T22:59:25Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > Archon was the first PC-centric game I ever played. Both the original [Archon](http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?gameid=1784) and the much-updated [Archon Ultra](http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?gameid=1785) are available at [The-Underdogs.org](http://www.the-underdogs.org). Of the two, I’ve only played Archon Ultra, which is definitely worth the download. There’s also [Dark Legions](http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?name=Dark+Legions), which uses a similar combat system but is otherwise much less chesslike. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-rooks-rule-in-chess/51084.md?page=3)