King of the Hill

In King of the Hill, pieces move and check works as in standard chess. The difference is an additional winning condition: you win as soon as you make a legal move that places your king on d4, d5, e4, or e5, the four squares at the geometric center of the board.

The word legal is essential. A king cannot enter a central square if that square is attacked, because that would mean moving the king into check. Likewise, if your king is already in check, your move must resolve it legally. Ordinary checkmate also remains a winning condition.

This rule changes the king's role. In standard chess the king often spends much of the game seeking safety; here it can also become the piece that advances toward the winning objective. Every king advance therefore has to balance two questions: whether the route is safe and whether the opponent can reach the center first or create a decisive attack.

Racing Kings also turns king movement into the main objective, but there the target is the last rank and giving check is forbidden.