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: protection: 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: reply: 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: