Chessschool

Chess terms explained

A quick reference for beginners. Read a term, then look for an example on the board.

The pieces

Chess vocabulary

Starting position
The setup of all 32 pieces before the first move.
Blitz
Fast chess with little thinking time, usually 3 to 5 minutes per player.
Center
The squares d4, e4, d5 and e5, where your pieces have the most room.
Defend
Protecting a piece so you can recapture if it is taken.
Threefold repetition
If the same position occurs three times, a player can claim a draw.
Doubled pawns
Two pawns of the same color on the same file.
Fool's mate
The fastest mate: after two white moves, for example 1. f3 e5 2. g4 Qh4#.
Perpetual check
You keep giving check and the opponent cannot stop it: a draw.
Endgame
The phase with few pieces, where the king becomes active.
En passant
A special pawn capture right after a two-square pawn move.
Gambit
Sacrificing a pawn for faster development or attack.
Scholar's mate
Mate in four moves with queen and bishop on f7.
Italian Game
A classic beginner opening: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4.
Bishop pair
Having both bishops, often stronger than their point value.
Escape square
A pawn move next to your castled king that gives it an escape square.
Back-rank mate
A rook or queen mates on the first or eighth rank because the king is boxed in by its own pawns.
Material
The total value of the pieces a player still has.
Middlegame
The phase after the opening where plans and tactics decide.
Notation
Writing moves down, like e4 or Nf3 (knight to f3).
Sacrifice
Giving up material on purpose for an attack, mate or a better position.
Hanging piece
A piece that is attacked and not defended by anything.
Underpromotion
Promoting a pawn to a rook, bishop or knight instead of a queen, for example to avoid stalemate.
Discovered attack
One piece moves away and unveils an attack by another piece.
Development
Bringing your pieces from their starting squares to active ones.
Insufficient material
Too few pieces to deliver mate, such as king against king: a draw.
Open file
A file with no pawns, ideal for rooks.
Opening
The first moves: take the center and develop your pieces.
Resign
Telling your opponent you have lost the game.
Opposition
Kings facing each other: the player to move must give way.
Stalemate
You are not in check but have no legal move: a draw.
Pin
A piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece.
Promotion
A pawn reaching the far side becomes another piece, usually a queen.
Piece value
Pawn 1, knight and bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9: a tool to judge trades.
Draw
A tie, for example by stalemate or agreement.
Rank and file
Ranks run from 1 to 8, files from a to h.
Castling
King and rook move together in one move to protect your king.
Trade
Capturing pieces of equal value off the board.
Check
Your king is attacked and you must resolve it right away.
Chessboard
A board of 8 by 8 squares, with a light square at the bottom right.
Checkmate
The king is in check and cannot escape: the game is won.
Skewer
You attack a valuable piece. When it moves away, you capture the piece behind it.
Tactics
Short move combinations that win material or deliver mate.
Tempo
One move, or gaining a move in a race to develop or attack.
Smothered mate
A knight mates a king that is surrounded by its own pieces.
Fifty-move rule
Fifty moves without a pawn move or capture: a player can claim a draw.
Fork
One piece attacks two pieces at once.
Passed pawn
A pawn with no enemy pawns in front or beside it. A candidate for promotion.
Zugzwang
Every move you can make worsens your position.
Weak square
A square that is poorly defended, such as f7 early in the game.