Rook (chess)

It may move any number of squares horizontally or vertically without jumping, and it may capture an enemy piece on its path; it may participate in castling.

[9] In the diagrammed position from a game between Lev Polugaevsky and Larry Evans,[10] the rook on the seventh rank enables White to draw, despite being a pawn down.

[11] Two rooks on the seventh rank are often enough to force victory by the blind swine mate, or at least a draw by perpetual check.

Rooks are most powerful towards the end of a game (i.e., the endgame), when they can move unobstructed by pawns and control large numbers of squares.

The Persian word rukh means "chariot",[14] as does the name of the corresponding piece in the original Indian version, chaturanga, ratha.

[citation needed] In modern times, it is mostly known as हाथी (elephant) to Hindi-speaking players, while East Asian chess games such as xiangqi and shogi have names also meaning chariot (車) for the same piece.

[15] Persian war chariots were heavily armored, carrying a driver and at least one ranged-weapon bearer, such as an archer.

The sides of the chariot were built to resemble fortified stone work, giving the impression of small, mobile buildings, causing terror on the battlefield.

The piece is called torre ("tower") in Italian, Portuguese, Catalan and Spanish; tour in French; toren in Dutch; Turm in German; torn in Swedish; and torni in Finnish.

[17] In the British Museum's collection of the medieval Lewis chess pieces, the rooks appear as stern warders, or wild-eyed berserker warriors.

[19] In some languages, the rook is called a ship: Thai เรือ (reūa), Armenian Նավակ (navak), Russian ладья (ladya), Javanese ꦥꦿꦲꦸ (prahu).

[23] Peter Tyson suggests that there is a correlation between the name of the piece and the word rukh, a mythical giant bird of prey from Persian mythology.