The Essential Chess Glossary – Terms, Jargon, and Definitions

A quick reference for all the terms, jargon, and concepts you'll encounter in the world of chess. Click a letter or scroll down to find a term.

A

Adjudication: The process of a chess arbiter determining the result of an unfinished game based on the position and a player's analysis.
Adjournment: The temporary suspension of a game, with the position recorded. This practice is now rare in top-level play due to time controls and computer analysis.
Algebraic Notation: The standard method for recording chess moves, using letters for files (a-h) and numbers for ranks (1-8).
Annotation: Commentary, notes, and analysis added to a recording of a game, often using special chess symbols (e.g., '!' for good move, '??' for blunder).
Arbiter: An official responsible for overseeing the game, ensuring rules are followed, and settling disputes.
Attack: An aggressive action against a piece or position. An attack forces the opponent to defend.

B

Back Rank: The first (for White) or eighth (for Black) rank where the major pieces start.
Back-Rank Mate: Checkmate delivered by a Rook or Queen on the opponent's back rank, where the King is prevented from escaping by its own pawns.
Bad Bishop: A bishop that is restricted by its own pawns (which are on the same color as the bishop), limiting its mobility and effectiveness.
Battery: Two or more pieces (usually Rooks, or a Queen and a Rook/Bishop) lined up on the same file, rank, or diagonal, often targeting a specific square or enemy piece.
Bishop: A minor piece that moves any number of squares diagonally. Each player starts with two bishops: one on light squares and one on dark squares.
Bishop Pair: Possessing both bishops (light-squared and dark-squared) in open positions is often considered a strategic advantage over a knight and bishop or two knights.
Black: The designation for the player who moves second in the game. The black pieces are dark-colored.
Blitz: A fast variation of chess where each player starts with a very limited time control, typically 10 minutes or less (often 3 to 5 minutes).
Blockade: The strategic placement of a piece directly in front of an enemy pawn (usually a passed pawn) to stop its advance.
Blunder: A gross error that immediately and dramatically worsens a player's position, often leading to a material loss or quick checkmate.

C

Candidate Move: A small set of moves a player seriously considers during analysis. Usually the best 2–4 moves in a position.
Castling: A special move involving the King and one of the Rooks. The King moves two squares toward a Rook, and the Rook moves to the square the King skipped over.
Center: The four central squares on the board (d4, e4, d5, e5) and the squares adjacent to them. Controlling the center is a key strategic goal.
Check: A direct attack on the King by an enemy piece. The player whose King is checked must immediately resolve the threat.
Checkmate: The game-winning situation where the King is in check and there is no legal move to remove the threat. The game ends immediately.
Closed Game: A game where the pawn structure is locked, making lines for rooks and bishops difficult to open. Play often revolves around maneuvering.
Combination: A sequence of forced moves, often involving a sacrifice, to gain a specific advantage.
Compensation: Advantages (such as better activity or attack) gained in exchange for sacrificing material.

D

Decoy: A tactical maneuver that forces an enemy piece to move to a square where it becomes vulnerable to another threat.
Desperado: A piece that is already doomed to be captured, which sacrifices itself (often capturing an enemy piece) to inflict maximum damage before leaving the board.
Development: The process of moving pieces (Knights, Bishops, Rooks, Queen) from their starting squares to active, useful squares.
Discovery/Discovered Attack: An attack made by a piece when a friendly piece moves out of its line of sight.
Discovered Check: A powerful variant of the discovered attack where the revealed piece delivers a check to the opponent's King.
Double Attack: A tactical threat where a single piece or a combination of moves attacks two or more enemy targets simultaneously.
Doubled Pawns: Two pawns of the same color on the same file, usually considered a structural weakness.
Draw: A game that ends without a winner. Common causes include stalemate, agreement, or threefold repetition.

E

Elo Rating: A system for calculating the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games such as chess.
Endgame: The final phase of the game, characterized by few pieces remaining on the board, where the King takes an active role.
En Passant: A special pawn capture. If a pawn moves two squares forward and lands beside an opponent's pawn, the opponent can capture it "in passing."
Exchange: The trade of pieces, usually of equal value. "Winning the exchange" refers to trading a minor piece (Knight or Bishop) for a Rook.
Exchange Variation: An opening variation where an early exchange of pawns or pieces occurs to clarify the position.
Expert: A title used to denote a player with a rating below master level (usually 2000-2199 USCF/FIDE).

F

Fianchetto: Developing a Bishop to the long diagonal, typically by moving the b or g pawn one square (e.g., Bishop to b2 or g2).
FIDE: Fédération Internationale des Échecs. The World Chess Federation, the governing body of international chess competition.
Fifty-Move Rule: A rule stating that a player can claim a draw if no capture has been made and no pawn has been moved in the last fifty consecutive moves.
File: A column of eight squares running vertically up the board, labeled 'a' through 'h'.
Fool's Mate: The quickest possible checkmate in chess, occurring on the second move (usually 1. f3 e5 2. g4 Qh4#).
Forced Move: A move that a player must make because all other moves lead to immediate loss or are illegal (e.g., getting out of check).
Fork: A tactical attack by a single piece (most commonly a Knight) simultaneously threatening two or more of the opponent's pieces.
Fortress: A defensive setup in the endgame where the inferior side sets up a zone that the opponent cannot penetrate, often salvaging a draw.

G

Gambit: An opening move in which a player sacrifices material (usually a pawn) with the aim of achieving a compensating advantage in position, time, or development.
Good Bishop: A bishop that is not blocked by its own pawns and has good mobility.
Grandmaster (GM): The highest title awarded by FIDE, achieved by meeting rigorous performance standards (norms) and reaching a rating threshold (currently 2500).

H

Hanging: A piece is "hanging" if it is unprotected and exposed to capture.
Hole: A square inside a player's territory that cannot be defended by a pawn. It is an ideal outpost for an enemy piece.

I

Increment: A specific amount of time added to a player's clock after they make a move.
Initiative: The advantage of being the attacker and dictating the flow of the game, forcing the opponent to respond.
Insufficient Material: A draw scenario occurring when neither player has enough pieces to force a checkmate (e.g., King vs. King).
Interference: A tactical theme where a piece is sacrificed or moved to block the line of defense between two enemy pieces.
Intermezzo: See Zwischenzug.
International Master (IM): A high-ranking chess title, below Grandmaster but above FIDE Master.
Isolated Pawn: A pawn that has no friendly pawns on adjacent files. It can be a weakness in the endgame but a strength in the middlegame.

J

J'adoube: French for "I adjust." A phrase a player must announce before touching a piece to adjust its position without intending to move it.

K

Kibitzer: A spectator who watches a game, often offering unwanted advice or commentary (common in informal settings).
King: The most important piece. The game ends when the King is checkmated. It can move one square in any direction.
Kingside: The side of the board where the Kings start (files e through h).
Knight: A minor piece that moves in an "L" shape (two squares in one cardinal direction, then one square perpendicular).

L

Liquidation: Exchanging pieces to simplify the position, often to transition into a favorable endgame.
Long Diagonal: The two longest diagonals on the board: a1-h8 and h1-a8.
Lucena Position: A well-known rook and pawn endgame position where the player with the pawn can force a win by building a "bridge" for their king.
Luft: German for "air." Making a move (usually with a pawn) to create an escape square for the King to prevent a back-rank mate.

M

Major Piece: A Queen or a Rook. Also called "heavy pieces."
Mate: Short for Checkmate.
Material: The collection of pieces and pawns a player has on the board. A player with more value is said to have a "material advantage."
Middlegame: The phase of the game between the opening and the endgame, where most tactical combat occurs.
Minor Piece: A Bishop or a Knight.
Minority Attack: Advancing pawns on the side of the board where you have fewer pawns than the opponent, aiming to create a weakness.

N

Norm: A performance benchmark achieved in a tournament that counts toward earning titles like International Master or Grandmaster.
Notation: Any system for recording chess moves (e.g., Algebraic Notation).
Novelty: A new move in the opening that has not been played in recorded master games before.

O

Open File: A file with no pawns of either color on it. Rooks are most effective on open files.
Opening: The initial phase of the game where players develop their pieces.
Opposition: A position in the endgame where two Kings face each other with one square in between. The player not to move has the advantage.
Outpost: A secure square (usually supported by a pawn) where a piece can be placed, often deep in enemy territory.
Overloading: A tactical theme where a defensive piece is given more tasks (defending squares or pieces) than it can handle.

P

Passed Pawn: A pawn that has no opposing pawns on its file or adjacent files to stop its advance to promotion.
Patzer: A slang term for a weak chess player.
Pawn: The most numerous piece. It moves forward one square (or two on its first move) but captures diagonally.
Pawn Structure: The configuration of pawns on the board, which dictates the strategic plans for both players.
Perpetual Check: A situation where one player can check the opponent's King endlessly. This results in a draw.
Philidor Position: A crucial defensive technique in rook and pawn endgames used to secure a draw against a stronger side.
Piece: Strictly speaking, non-pawn chessmen (Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight, King). However, in casual usage, pawns are often called pieces.
Pin: A situation where a piece cannot move because doing so would expose a more valuable piece (usually the King or Queen) to attack.
Positional Play: A style of play focusing on long-term maneuvering and accumulation of small advantages rather than immediate tactical attacks.
Promotion: When a pawn reaches the eighth rank, it must be exchanged for a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight.
Prophylaxis: A strategy of preventing the opponent's plans before they can develop.

Q

Queen: The most powerful piece, combining the movement of the Rook and the Bishop.
Queening: Promoting a pawn to a Queen.
Queenside: The side of the board where the Queens start (files a through d).

R

Rank: A horizontal row of squares on the chessboard, numbered 1-8.
Rapid Chess: A game played with a time control faster than classical chess but slower than blitz (typically 15-60 minutes per player).
Rating: A number indicating a player's skill level (see Elo Rating).
Resignation: Conceding the game before checkmate occurs. A player usually resigns when they see their position is hopeless.
Rook: A major piece that moves horizontally or vertically. It is involved in castling.

S

Sacrifice: Giving up material (a pawn or piece) voluntarily to gain a tactical or strategic advantage.
Scholar's Mate: A four-move checkmate (1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Qxf7#) that targets the weak f7 square. Common among beginners.
Simul (Simultaneous Exhibition): An event where one strong player (often a master) plays multiple games against different opponents at the same time.
Skewer: A tactical attack on two pieces in a line, similar to a pin, but the more valuable piece is in front and must move.
Smothered Mate: A checkmate delivered by a Knight where the King is surrounded ("smothered") by its own pieces and cannot move.
Space: The amount of territory (squares) controlled by a player. A space advantage allows for greater mobility.
Stalemate: A position where the player whose turn it is has no legal moves but is not in check. The game ends in a draw.
Strategy: Long-term planning and positioning of pieces, as opposed to short-term tactics.
Swindle: A trick or trap used by a player in a losing position to achieve a win or draw.

T

Tactics: Short-term sequences of moves involving threats, captures, and sacrifices to gain an immediate advantage.
Tempo: A unit of time in chess represented by one move. Gaining a tempo means developing faster than the opponent.
Threefold Repetition: A rule stating that a game is a draw if the exact same position occurs three times with the same player to move.
Time Control: The limit on the amount of time players have to complete the game or a set number of moves.
Time Trouble: A situation where a player has very little time left on their clock to complete their moves, often leading to errors.
Touch-Move Rule: The rule that if a player touches a piece, they must move it (if a legal move is available).
Triangulation: A King maneuver in the endgame used to lose a tempo and pass the move to the opponent while maintaining the same position (forcing Zugzwang).

U

Undermining: A tactic of capturing or driving away a defending piece (often a pawn) to leave a target vulnerable.
Underpromotion: Promoting a pawn to a piece other than a Queen (e.g., a Knight to deliver a checkmate or a Rook to avoid stalemate).

V

Variation: A specific sequence of moves that differs from the main line of an opening or analysis.

W

Waiting Move: A move made with the intention of doing nothing significant, forcing the opponent to move and potentially weaken their position.
White: The player who moves first in a game of chess. White pieces are light-colored.
Windmill: A devastating tactic where a series of discovered checks allows a piece (usually a Rook) to capture multiple enemy pieces freely.
Wing: The flanks of the board (the a-, b-, c- files on the Queenside and f-, g-, h- files on the Kingside).

X

X-Ray: An indirect attack or defense where a piece exerts influence through another piece (friend or foe) occupying a square on the same line.

Z

Zugzwang: A German term meaning "compulsion to move." A situation where every legal move available to a player worsens their position.
Zwischenzug: German for "intermediate move." An unexpected move inserted into a tactical sequence (usually a check or capture) that changes the outcome.

This glossary covers the most important terms. For in-depth guides on openings, strategies, and famous games, please explore the rest of our Chess Strategy sections.