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A rook (♖ ♜,borrowed from Persian رخ ''rokh'', Sanskrit ''roth'', "chariot") is a Piece in the strategy Board Game of Chess . Each player starts with two rooks, one in each of the corners nearest their own side. In Algebraic Notation , white's rooks start on a1 and h1, while black's rooks start on a8 and h8. The rook moves horizontally or vertically, forward or back, through any number of unoccupied squares, as shown in the diagram below. Like other pieces, it captures by occupying the square on which an enemy piece stands. The rook also participates, along with the King , in a special move called Castling . HISTORY Originally, the rook symbolized a Chariot . The Persian word ''rokh'' means chariot, and the corresponding pieces in Oriental chess games such as Xiangqi and Shogi have names meaning chariot. Persian War Chariots were heavily armoured, 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. However, in the West, the rook is almost universally represented as a fortified tower. One possible explanation is that when the game was imported to Italy , the Persian ''rokh'' became the Italian word ''rocca'', meaning fortress. Another possible explanation is that rooks represent Siege Tower s. Rooks are usually made to look like small castles, and as a result, a rook is sometimes called a "castle", usually by non-players and those new to the game. This usage was common in the past ("The Rook, or Castle, is next in power to the Queen" — Howard Staunton , 1847 ) but today it is rarely, if ever, used in the literature or among players, except in reference to Castling . (Here, "castle" is a ''verb'' referring to a move, not a noun referring to a piece.) STRATEGY In general, rooks are stronger than Bishops or Knights and are consequently considered about two Pawns greater in value. Winning a rook for a bishop or knight is referred to as winning '' The Exchange ''. Two rooks are generally considered to be worth slightly more than a Queen . Rooks and queens are called ''heavy pieces'' or ''major pieces'', as opposed to bishops and knights, which are called ''minor pieces'' (see Chess Piece Point Value ).
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