Chess Terms - Glossary with Chess Definitions Flashcards
the second most powerful piece in chess! It is a long-range piece and is notorious for delivering back-rank checkmates!
Rook
As mentioned, the rook is the second most powerful piece (behind the queen). The rook can move forward, backward or sideways, but cannot move diagonally (like a queen or a bishop). The rook can move up or down vertically on any file. The rook can also move left or right horizontally on any rank
the most basic and fundamental chessmen in the entire game.
Pawn
A pawn is the most common chess piece on the chessboard. Chess sets contain sixteen total pawns. Each player begins the game with eight pawns set up on the second rank directly in front of the major pieces: rooks, bishops, knights, queen, and king.
Pawns are considered to be the weakest piece in the game of chess due to their limited mobility.
knowing what to do when there there is something to do
tactics
direction of forces in battle: the science of organizing and maneuvering forces in battle to achieve a limited or immediate goal
Chess is 99 percent tactics.” - Richard Teichmann(German chess master-1908)
knowing what to do when there is nothing to do
strategy
a carefully devised plan of action to achieve a goal, or the art of developing or carrying out such a plan
This is a checkmate whereby the Bishop and Queen attack the weak f7 pawn. This pawn is weak because, in the starting position, it is only protected by the King.
The scholar’s mate
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qh5 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Your opponent says “I surrender! You Win!” In a lost position, where they don’t feel the need to play on, as they don’t feel they can win, or don’t deserve to win.
resign
a chess opening that begins with the following moves: 1. e4 c5
The Sicilian Defense
1.e4 c5
The Sicilian is one of the major and best answers to 1.e4. Black takes control of the d4 square with a pawn from the side - thus he imbalances the position and avoids giving White a central target.
Pros:
Unbalances the game
Gives Black good chances of attack
Great opening when you need to play for a win
Cons:
White has many ways to meet the Sicilian
In the main variations White gets great attacking chances
There is a lot of theory
The eight horizontal rows on the board, labelled 1 to 8.
Rank
a chess opening characterised by the moves: 1. e4 c6
Caro–Kann Defence
The Caro-Kann was named after Horatio Caro and Marcus Kann who analyzed it in 1886. Black supports the move …d5, to challenge the e4 pawn, while being ready to recapture. The Caro-Kann is considered to be a fairly solid, quiet opening.
Pros:
Sound pawn structure
Free light-squared bishop
Safe
Cons:
Less space for black
Slower development
Less complicated game
Famous Practitioners: Anatoly Karpov
two pawns of the same color residing on the same file
Doubled pawns
Pawns can become doubled only when one pawn captures onto a file on which another friendly pawn resides. In the diagram, the pawns on the b-file and e-file are doubled. The pawns on the e-file are doubled and isolated.
chess opening that starts with the moves: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 It is one of the oldest openings and is still commonly played today.
Queen’s Gambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4
One of the fundamental variations of 1.d4 is the Queen’s Gambit. White immediately strikes at Black’s central pawn from the side. Although the c4 pawn is not guarded, this is not a ‘real’ gambit, since White can always get the pawn back if he wants.
Pros:
Fights to conquer the center
Puts immediate pressure on Black
Gains space
Cons:
White may have to spend time getting the pawn back
Less attacking chances on the black king
Black may aim to counterattack d4
a situation in the game of chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check but has no legal move.
stalemate
The rules of chess provide that when stalemate occurs, the game ends as a draw.
In chess, a …. is a very bad move.
blunder
Blunder is usually caused by some tactical oversight, whether from time trouble, overconfidence or carelessness. While blunders are more common in amateur games, all players make them even at world championship level.\
A blunder is a simple overlooking of something you would normally notice. A mistake is a misjudgement or misassesment of the position. Blunders tend to be tactical in nature. Mistakes are strategically errors when you choose a wrong plan.
columns that go up and down the chessboard
file
Each board has eight of them. Because numbers indicate ranks, letters indicate files, which are labeled from left to right.
(♗,♝) a piece in the game of chess that can move any number of squares in a diagonal line
bishop
The bishop is an interesting piece because it can move as far as it wants but only on diagonals. It is a long-range piece and can be very dangerous!
(♘,♞) is a piece in the game of chess and is represented by a horse’s head and neck.
Knight
The knight is the trickiest piece in chess! It moves very differently than other pieces and can deliver the dreaded fork or even a smothered mate!
a move in the game of chess involving a player’s king and either of the player’s original rooks.
castling
It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces in the same move, and it is the only move aside from the knight’s move where a piece can be said to “jump over” another.
a situation brought on by an attacking piece in which a defending piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable defending piece on its other side to capture by the attacking piece.
pin
Tactics are a big part of any chess duel. Among the basic tactics, the pin is one of the most common you can use to surprise your opponent and win the game.
there are two different pins: absolute in and relative pin
