Glossary of chess

This glossary of chess explains commonly used terms in chess, in alphabetical order. Some of these terms have their own pages, like fork and pin. For a list of unorthodox chess pieces, see Fairy chess piece; for a list of terms specific to chess problems, see Glossary of chess problems; for a list of named opening lines, see List of chess openings; for a list of chess-related games, see List of chess variants; for a list of terms general to board games, see Glossary of board games.

A
absolute pin:

active:



adjournment:

adjudication:

adjust:

advanced pawn:

advantage:

Alekhine's gun:

algebraic notation:

amateur:

analysis:

annotation:

announced mate:

antipositional:

Anti-Sicilian:

Arabian mate:

arbiter:

arena:

Armageddon game:

artificial castling:

attack:

attraction:

automaton:

B
B:

back rank:

back-rank mate:

back-rank weakness:

backward pawn:

bad bishop:

bare king:

Basque chess:

battery:

BCF:

BCM:

BCO:

best play:

big pawn:

bind:

bishop:

bishop pair:

bishop pawn:

bishops on opposite colors:

black:

Black:

blind chess:

blindfold chess:

blind pigs:

blitz chess:

blitzkrieg:

blockade:

blocked position:

blunder:

board:

board one:

Boden's Mate:

book draw:

book move:

book win:

break:

breakthrough:

brevity:

brilliancy:

brilliancy prize:

Bronstein delay:

bughouse chess:

building a bridge:

bullet chess:

bust:

bye:

C


Caïssa:

calculate:

Candidate Master:

candidate move:

Candidates Match:

Candidates Tournament:

can opener:

capped piece:

capture:

castling:

castling into it:

castling long:

castling rights:

castling short:

casual game:

category of a tournament:

CC:

center:

center file:

center pawn:

centipawn:

central file:

centralization:

central pawn:

cheapo:

check:

checkmate:

chess annotation:

chess blindness:

chessboard:



chess clock:

chess club:

chessmen:

chess notation:

chess opening:

chess problem:

chess set:

chess variant:

Chess960:

chop wood:

classical:

classical bishop sacrifice:

clearance:

clock move:

clock time:

closed file:

closed game:

Closed Game:

closed tournament:

CM:

coffeehouse:

color:

colorbound:

colors reversed:

combination:

compensation:

computer move:

connected passed pawns:

connected pawns:

connected rooks:

consolidation:

consultation game:

continuation:

control:

control of the center:

cook:

coordination:

corr.:

correspondence chess:

corresponding squares:

counterattack:

countergambit:

counterplay:

country move:

cover:

cramped:

critical position:

critical square:

cross-check:

crosstable:

crush:

D
dark-square bishop:

dark squares:

dead draw:

dead position:

decoy:

defense:

deflection:



demonstration board:

descriptive notation:

desperado:

development:

diagonal:

discovered attack:

discovered check:

diversionary sacrifice:

domination:

double attack:

double check:

doubled pawns:

doubled rooks:

double fianchetto:

draw:

draw by agreement:

draw death:

drawing line:

drawing weapon:

drawish:

draw odds:

draw offer:

dynamism:

E
eat:

ECF:

ECU:

ECO:

edge:

eighth rank:

Elo rating system:

endgame:

endgame tablebase:

en passant:

en prise:

e.p.:

epaulette mate:

EPD:

equalize:

escape square:

evaluation:

exchange:

exchange, the:

exchange variation:

exhibition:

expanded center:

exposed king:

extended fianchetto:

Extended Position Description:

F
family fork:

FAN:

fast chess:

FEN:

FGM:

fianchetto:

FICGS Grandmaster:

FIDE:

FIDE Master:

FIDE rating:

fifty-move rule:

file:

fingerfehler:

first board:

first-move advantage:

first player:

first rank:

Fischerandom:

Fischer delay:

fish:

fivefold repetition:

five-minute chess:

flag:

flag-fall:

flank:

flank opening:

flight square:

FM:

FOA:

Fool's mate:

forced mate:

forced move:

forced win:

forcing move:

forfeit:

fork:

Forsyth–Edwards Notation:

fortress:

frame:

friendly game:

frontier line:

G
gambit:

game clock:

game score:

gardez:

GM:

God:

good bishop:

Grandmaster:

grandmaster draw:

Greek gift sacrifice:

H
half-open file:

handicap:

hanging:

hanging pawns:

harmony:

Harry:

hauptturnier:

heavy piece:

hole:

home rank:

horizontal line:

Horwitz bishops:

human move:

Hutton pairing:

hypermodernism:

I
IA:

ICCA:

ICCF:

ICS:

IGM:

illegal move:

illegal position:

IM:

imbalance:

inaccuracy:

inactive:

in check:

increment:

Indian bishop:

Indian Defense:

informal game:

initiative:

innovation:

insufficient material:

interference:

intermediate move:

intermezzo:

International Arbiter:

International Correspondence Chess Federation:

International Grandmaster:

International Master:

International Woman Master:

Internet chess server:

interpose:

Interzonal tournament:

IQP:

irregular opening:

isolani:

isolated pawn:

isolated queen pawn:

Italian bishop:

J
j'adoube:

K
K:

key square:

KGA:

KGD:

KIA:

kibitz:

kick:

KID:

king:

king bishop:

king hunt:

king knight:

king pawn:

king pawn opening:

king rook:

kingside:

king walk:

knight:

knight pawn:



knight's tour:

knockout tournament:

Kotov syndrome:

Kriegspiel:

Kt:

L
last rank:

laws of chess:

lightning chess:

light-square bishop:

light squares:

line:

line piece:

liquidation:

long castling:

long diagonal:

long fianchetto:

long-range piece:

loose piece:

loose position:

losing a tempo:

loss:

Lucena position:

luft:

M
main line:

majority:

major piece:

man:

Maróczy Bind:

master:

match:

mate:

material:

materialism:

mating attack:

mating net:

MCO:

middlegame:

miniature:

minor exchange:

minority:

minority attack:

minor piece:

mobile pawn center:

mobility:

mouse slip:

move:

move order:

mysterious rook move:

N
N:

NCO:

NN:

norm:

notation:

novelty:

O
occupation:

octopus:

odds:

offhand game:

Olympiad:

open file:

open game:

Open Game:

opening:

opening innovation:

opening preparation:

opening repertoire:

opening system:

open lines:

open tournament:

opposite castling:

opposite-colored bishops:

opposition:

optimal play:

OTB:

outpost:

outside passed pawn:

overextended:

overloaded:

overprotection:

over the board:

Abbr. OTB.

overworked:

P
P:

pairing:

passar battaglia:

passed pawn:

passer:

passive:

passive sacrifice:

pattern recognition:

patzer:

pawn:

pawn and move:

pawn break:

pawn center:

pawn chain:

pawn island:

pawn majority:

pawn minority:

pawn race:

pawn roller:

pawn skeleton:

pawn storm:

pawn structure:

PCA:

performance rating:

perpetual check:

PGN:

Philidor position:

Philidor sacrifice:

piece:

pin:

playable:

play by hand:

ply:

poisoned pawn:

Poisoned Pawn Variation:

Portable Game Notation:

position:

positional play:

positional player:

positional sacrifice:

post mortem:

PR:

premove:

preparation:

prepared variation:

Principle of two weaknesses:

priyome:

problem-like:

promotion:

prophylaxis:

protected passed pawn:

pseudo sacrifice:

push:

Q
Q:

QGA:

QGD:

QID:

quad:

queen:

queen bishop:

queening:

queen knight:

queen pawn:

queen pawn opening:

queen rook:

queenside:

quickplay finish:

quiet move:

R
R:

Rabar Classification:

raking bishops:

randomized chess:

rank:

rapid chess:

rating:

recapture:

refute:

related squares:

relative pin:

remis:

repertoire:

reserve tempo:

resign:

resign on time:

reverse opening:

Romantic chess:

rook:

rook lift:

rook pawn:

round-robin tournament:

royal fork:

royal piece:

S
S:

sac:

sacrifice:

SAN:

sans voir:

scalp:

Scholar's mate:

score:



score sheet:

sealed move:

second:

second player:

seesaw:

Semi-Closed Game:

semi-open file:

Semi-Open Game:

seventy-five-move rule:

sham sacrifice:

sharp:

short castling:

shot:

silent move:

simplification:



simul:

simultaneous chess:

sitzfleisch:

skewer:

skittles:

slow:

smothered mate:

Sofia rules:

solid:

sortie:

sound:

space:

Spanish bishop:

speed chess:

spite check:

squeeze:

staircase maneuver:

stalemate:

standard notation:

starting square:



Staunton chessmen:

stem game:

strategic crush:

strategy:

stong:

stronger side:

strongpoint:

strong square:

sudden death:

support point:

swap:

swindle:

Swiss tournament:

symmetry:

system:

T
tabia:

tablebase:

tactician:

tactics:

takeback:

tall pawn:

Tarrasch rule:

TC:

TD:

technique:

tempo:

tension:

text move:

thematic:

theme tournament:

theoretical draw:

theoretical novelty:

theory:

threat:

threefold repetition:

tiebreaks:

time:

time control:

time delay:

time pressure:

TN:

top board:

touch-move rule:

tournament:

tournament book:

tournament director:

tournament performance rating:

trade:

transposition:

trap:

trébuchet:

triangulation:

tripled pawns:

Troitsky line:

two bishops:

U
unclear:

undermining:

underpromotion:

United States Chess Federation:

unorthodox opening:

unpinning:

unsound:

USCF:

V
vacating sacrifice:

valve:

vanished center:

variant:

variation:

vertical line:

W
waiting move:

WCC:

WCM:

weakness:

weak square:

WFM:

WGM:

white:

White:

WIM:

win:

windmill:

wing:

Wing Gambit:

winning percentage:

winning position:

Woman Candidate Master:

Woman FIDE Master:

Woman Grandmaster:

Woman International Master:

won game:

wood:

woodpusher:

World Champion:

wrong bishop:

wrong rook pawn:

X
X-ray:

Z
zeitnot:

Zonal tournaments:

zugzwang:

zwischenschach:

zwischenzug: