Capture

A capture normally occurs when a piece moves to a square occupied by an opposing piece. The opposing piece is removed from the board, and the capturing piece takes its place as part of the same move. A player can never capture a piece of the same color.

The capturing piece must still follow its movement rules. A bishop, rook, or queen cannot pass through other pieces; a knight can jump over them; and a pawn captures one square diagonally forward rather than the way it normally advances. En passant is the exception in which the capturing pawn does not finish on the square occupied by the removed piece.

A capture is legal only if the player's own king is safe afterward. A king may capture pieces, but it cannot enter an attacked square. The opposing king is never captured: the game ends earlier when checkmate occurs.

In algebraic notation, the standard letter-and-number system for recording moves, the letter x usually marks a capture. The remaining information identifies the moving piece and its destination square.