Castling
Taught in: Castling and en passant
Glossary
The chess words used around Cheesy, in plain words and with a board that shows them.
Level
Family
89 terms
Rules
12 termsA special move in which the king slides two squares towards one of its rooks and that rook jumps over to the king’s other side, all in one turn. It is only allowed if neither of the two has moved yet, nothing stands between them, and the king is not in check and does not cross or land on an attacked square. Check
A direct attack on the king. The side in check must get out of it with its very next move: by moving the king, blocking the line of attack or capturing the attacking piece. Taught in: Check, checkmate and stalemate
Checkmate
A check the king cannot get out of in any way. The game ends there, and the side that gives it wins. Taught in: Check, checkmate and stalemate
Diagonal
A slanting line of squares that touch only at their corners. All its squares are the same colour. Taught in: The board
En passant
A special pawn capture. If a pawn advances two squares from its starting square and lands right beside an enemy pawn, that pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one, going to the square the other one skipped. It is only allowed on the very next move. Taught in: Castling and en passant
File
A column of squares running from one player to the other. There are eight, named with the letters a to h, left to right as White sees them. Taught in: The board
Piece value
Points given to each piece to compare what it is worth: pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5 and queen 9. The king is not counted, because it never leaves the board. It is not a rule of the game but a guide for deciding what to capture and what to trade. Taught in: Capturing and piece values
Promotion
When a pawn reaches the far end of the board, in that same turn it is swapped for a queen, rook, bishop or knight of its colour, whichever the player chooses. The queen is nearly always the choice. Taught in: The pawn
Rank
A row of squares running across the board from side to side. There are eight, numbered 1 to 8 starting from White’s side. Taught in: The board
Stalemate
The player whose turn it is has no allowed move, and their king is not in check. The game ends at once in a draw. Taught in: Check, checkmate and stalemate
Threefold repetition
If the same position comes up three times in a game, with the same side to move and the same moves available, the player whose turn it is can claim a draw. Taught in: How to save a draw
Tactics
24 termsAttraction
Luring an enemy piece, often the king, onto a particular square by means of a sacrifice, because there it can be hit harder, for instance with a fork. Taught in: Checks, captures and threats
Back rank
The row along each player’s own edge of the board, where their pieces start. If the king stays there behind its pawns with no way out, an enemy rook or queen can deliver checkmate along that row. Taught in: Mate patterns
Clearance
Moving one of your own pieces out of the way of a square, rank, file or diagonal so that another piece can use it. It works best when the piece that moves gives check or threatens something, and it is often given up. Taught in: Advanced tactics
Deflection
Forcing an enemy piece to give up its defensive job, usually by offering it something to capture or by attacking it, so as to exploit whatever it leaves unguarded. Taught in: Removing the defender
Discovered attack
A piece moves out of the way and opens the line of another piece of the same side (a queen, rook or bishop), which now attacks. If the piece that moved also threatens something, the opponent has two problems at once. Taught in: Discovered attacks and double check
Discovered check
A piece moves out of the way and uncovers a check from another piece of the same side behind it. Since the opponent has to deal with the king, the piece that moved is free to capture or attack whatever it likes. Taught in: Discovered attacks and double check
Double check
A check from two pieces at once: one piece moves and gives check and, by stepping aside, uncovers a check from another. Since both cannot be blocked or captured together, the king is forced to move. Taught in: Discovered attacks and double check
Forcing move
A move that leaves the opponent very few answers: a check, a capture or a threat. Forcing moves must be answered, so they are the easiest to calculate, and it pays to look at them before any other move. Taught in: Checks, captures and threats
Fork
A single piece attacks two or more enemy pieces at the same time, and the opponent cannot save them all in one move. It is also called a double attack. Taught in: The fork
Greek gift
Giving up the bishop by capturing the pawn on h7 with check (h2 if Black attacks) to drag the castled king out. Then the knight comes in, with check from g5, and the queen along the h-file. It only works if those pieces arrive in time and the opponent cannot defend with another piece. Taught in: Attacking the king
Hanging piece
An attacked piece that nobody defends: the opponent can capture it for free. Before moving, it pays to look at which pieces have been left hanging, your own and your opponent’s. Taught in: Hanging pieces
In-between move
Instead of making the move that seems forced, such as taking back a piece, you first play another one the opponent has to answer, often a check, and only then make the expected move. Taught in: The in-between move
Interference
Putting a piece in the middle of the line along which an enemy piece defends something. The defence is cut; if the opponent captures the piece in the way, they usually lose material. Taught in: Advanced tactics
Opening trap
A sequence of moves early in the game in which a natural-looking but bad reply quickly costs the opponent pieces or gets them checkmated. Overloading
A piece has two defensive jobs at once and cannot do both: if it attends to one, it leaves unguarded what it protected with the other. Taught in: Removing the defender
Perpetual check
A series of checks the enemy king cannot escape. The side giving them secures at least a draw, and if it keeps giving them the game ends in a draw, usually by threefold repetition. Taught in: How to save a draw
Pin
A piece cannot move, or should not, because behind it on the same line stands a more valuable piece that would then be under attack. If the piece behind is the king, moving is not even allowed. Taught in: The pin
Quiet move
A move that gives no check, captures nothing and threatens no immediate capture, but prepares something the rival can no longer stop. It is the easiest kind to overlook. Taught in: Candidate moves
Removing the defender
Capturing the enemy piece that defends another, so that the other one is left without defence and can be won. Taught in: Removing the defender
Sacrifice
Giving up a pawn or a piece on purpose in return for another kind of advantage: an attack, time or a better position. If it works, you get back more than you gave. Taught in: Checks, captures and threats
Skewer
A valuable piece is attacked and, when it steps aside, it uncovers another piece behind it on the same line, which is then taken. It is like a pin turned around: the piece in front is the more valuable one. Taught in: The skewer
X-ray
A queen, rook or bishop attacks or defends a square through an enemy piece standing in front of it on the same line. As soon as that piece moves away or captures, the one behind comes into play. If the piece in front is your own, it is not an x-ray but a battery. Taught in: The in-between move
Named mates
5 termsAnastasia’s mate
Checkmate in which a knight and a rook trap the king against one side of the board: the knight cuts off its escape and the rook gives check along the edge column. One of the king’s own pawns usually blocks the last way out. Taught in: Mate patterns
Arabian mate
Checkmate by a rook and a knight against a king stuck in a corner: the rook, right next to the king, gives check, and the knight protects it and covers the one escape square left. It appears as far back as old Arabic chess manuscripts. Boden’s mate
Checkmate by two bishops whose diagonals cross in front of the king, which has usually castled on the queen’s side and is boxed in by its own pieces. It often comes right after a queen sacrifice. Légal’s mate
An opening trap in which the queen is offered: if the opponent takes it, two knights and a bishop give checkmate a few moves later. It is named after Légal, a French player of the 18th century. Smothered mate
Checkmate given by a knight to a king that cannot escape because its own pieces fill every square around it. Taught in: Mate patterns
Strategy
22 termsBad bishop
A bishop with most of its own pawns on squares of its colour. Those pawns block its way and it also has to defend them, so it does little. The good bishop is the opposite: its pawns stand on squares of the other colour and leave its diagonals free. Taught in: Bishops and knights in the endgame
Bishop pair
Keeping both bishops when the opponent has already lost one of theirs. Together they reach squares of both colours and, in open positions with few pawns in the way, they are usually worth a little more than bishop and knight or two knights. Taught in: Outposts
Candidate move
A move that looks good at first sight and deserves a closer look. Before moving you make a short list of candidates, starting with the forcing moves, and calculate each one. Taught in: Candidate moves
Centre
The four squares in the middle of the board: d4, e4, d5 and e5. Whoever holds or controls them with pawns and pieces usually finds it easier to move around the whole board. Taught in: How to start a game
Development
Bringing the knights and bishops, and later the queen and rooks, out of their starting squares so they can join the game. It is the main job of the first moves, along with fighting for the centre and castling. Taught in: How to start a game
Doubled rooks
Both rooks of one side, one behind the other on the same file or rank. Together they rule that line: if one is traded, the other stays on it. Taught in: Open files and the seventh rank
Exchange
Capturing an enemy piece and letting the opponent capture one of yours of similar value, such as a bishop for a knight; also called a trade. The forces stay even, but the position changes. Fianchetto
Placing a bishop on a long diagonal, on the square just in front of its knight’s starting square, after pushing the pawn that stood there one step. From there the bishop aims across the centre towards the opposite corner. Taught in: Active pieces
Flank
Either side of the board, away from the centre: the queen’s flank is the a, b and c columns, and the king’s flank is the f, g and h columns. Taught in: Attacking the king
Gambit
Giving away a pawn, or sometimes more, at the start of the game to get time, development or the centre in return. It is a sacrifice made on purpose in the very first moves. Half-open file
A file with pawns of only one side left on it. For the other side it is half-open: his rooks can attack those pawns along it. Taught in: Open files and the seventh rank
Imbalance
Any difference between White’s position and Black’s: bishops against knights, a weak pawn, more space, a less safe king. Some last a long time, like the pawn structure; others soon disappear, like a lead in development. The imbalances tell you which plan to follow. Taught in: Making a plan
Initiative
Setting the pace of the game: making threats the opponent has to deal with, so that they keep reacting instead of carrying out their own plans. Taught in: Active pieces
Long diagonal
Either of the two diagonals that cross the board from corner to corner, from a1 to h8 and from h1 to a8. They are the longest, with eight squares each, and both run through the centre. Taught in: Active pieces
Mobility
How many useful squares a piece, or a whole side, can reach. A piece with plenty of mobility is usually worth more than the same piece shut in. Taught in: Active pieces
Open file
A file with no pawns of either side left on it. It is the natural road for the rooks into the rival camp. Taught in: Open files and the seventh rank
Outpost
A square on one side’s fourth rank or further up, protected by one of its pawns, that no rival pawn can attack any more. It is the ideal spot for a knight. For the rival, that square is a hole in his camp. Taught in: Outposts
Pawn storm
Several pawns advancing together against the enemy king to open lines for the pieces. It is used above all when the kings have castled on different sides: the side pushing those pawns does not strip its own king. Taught in: Attacking the king
Space
The squares each side controls, above all in the opponent’s half of the board. Having more space gives your pieces room to manoeuvre and leaves the other side’s pieces cramped. Taught in: Making a plan
Tempo
A single move seen as a unit of time. You gain a tempo when the opponent wastes a move, for example by having to pull back a piece you attacked, and you lose one when the same happens to you. Taught in: Zugzwang and tempo
Pawn structure
13 termsBackward pawn
A pawn left behind the pawns of its own side on the neighbouring files, so none can protect it, and which cannot advance without being lost. The square in front of it is usually a good one for a rival piece. Taught in: Pawn structure
Blockade
Placing a piece right in front of a rival pawn, above all a passed pawn, so that it cannot advance. The best blockader is the knight: the pawn itself shelters it, and from there it still attacks squares. Taught in: The passed pawn
Connected passed pawns
Two or more passed pawns on neighbouring files. As they advance they protect each other, and on the sixth rank they are often worth as much as a rook. Taught in: The passed pawn
Doubled pawns
Two pawns of the same colour on the same column, one in front of the other. It is usually a weakness: they cannot guard each other, and the front one blocks the one behind. Taught in: Pawn structure
Isolated pawn
A pawn with no pawns of its own colour on the columns next to it. As long as that lasts, no pawn can guard it, so pieces have to do that job. Taught in: Pawn structure
Outside passed pawn
A passed pawn far from the other pawns, near the edge. In the endgame it forces the rival king to go and stop it, and meanwhile the other king eats the pawns on the other side. Taught in: The passed pawn
Passed pawn
A pawn with no enemy pawns ahead of it, either on its own file or on the ones next to it. No pawn can stop it, so it threatens to promote and forces the opponent to watch it with pieces. Taught in: King and pawn endings
Pawn break
Pushing a pawn to where it can capture an enemy pawn or be captured by it, in order to open lines or break up the opponent’s pawn structure. Taught in: Pawn structure
Pawn chain
Several pawns of the same colour in a diagonal line, each guarding the one in front of it. The one at the back, the base, is its weak point, because no pawn guards it. Taught in: Pawn structure
Pawn majority
More pawns than the rival on one flank. Played well, the majority ends up making a passed pawn; whoever has a majority on one flank usually has a minority on the other. Taught in: The passed pawn
Pawn structure
The way both sides’ pawns are arranged. Since a pawn can never move back, that arrangement changes slowly and shapes the plans of the game: where to attack, where to defend and which pieces will feel at home. Taught in: Pawn structure
Endgames
13 termsBuilding a bridge
The way to win the Lucena position: the rook goes to the fourth row so that, once the king walks out from in front of the pawn, it can step in between and stop the enemy rook’s checks. Taught in: The passed pawn
Cutting off the king
Using a rook as a wall: it stands on a rank or file the enemy king cannot cross without walking into check. That way the king does not get there in time to defend or to help its pawns. Taught in: Rook endings
Fortress
A position in which the side with less material cannot lose, because the opponent cannot break in with the pieces. For example, rook and pawn against queen: the pawn protects the rook and the rook keeps the enemy king out. It is a way to save a draw. Taught in: Defending
Key squares
Late in the game, when only kings and pawns are left, squares where the stronger side’s king, once it gets there, is sure to reach its goal, usually promoting the pawn, whatever the opponent does. Taught in: King and pawn endings
Lucena position
A position late in the game, with a rook and a pawn against a rook, that the side with the pawn wins: the pawn is one step from promoting, its king stands in front of it and its rook keeps the enemy king away. The win comes from building a bridge with the rook. Taught in: The passed pawn
Mutual zugzwang
A position in which both sides are in zugzwang: whoever has to move makes things worse, whoever it is. Here, the king that moves has to stop guarding its pawn and loses it. That is why, in these endings, having a spare waiting move decides the game. Taught in: Zugzwang and tempo
Opposite-coloured bishops
Each side has a single bishop and they move on squares of different colours, so they can never capture or block each other. In the endgame they give many draws, even one or two pawns down: the defender blocks the pawns on the squares the enemy bishop cannot touch. Taught in: Bishops and knights in the endgame
Opposition
The two kings stand on the same column or row with exactly one square between them. Since they cannot come any closer, the one who has to move must give way, and the other side is said to have the opposition. Taught in: King and pawn endings
Philidor position
A position late in the game, with a rook and a pawn against a rook, that the defending side draws: its king sits on the queening square and its rook, on the third row from its own side, keeps the enemy king from coming forward. Once the pawn steps onto that row, the rook goes to the far end of the board and gives checks from behind. Taught in: The passed pawn
Rule of the square
A shortcut to tell whether a king can catch a lone pawn racing to promote: picture a square whose side runs from the pawn to its queening square. If the king can step inside it on its turn, it catches the pawn; if not, the pawn promotes. Taught in: King and pawn endings
Seventh rank
The second rank counting from the opponent’s side: rank 7 for White and rank 2 for Black. A rook there attacks the pawns that have not moved yet and shuts the enemy king in on its last rank. Taught in: Rook endings
Triangulation
A king manoeuvre to lose a tempo: instead of going straight to a square, it takes a detour round three squares in a triangle and comes back to the same position with the opponent to move. It works in pawn endings where the enemy king is tied to a few squares, although sometimes other paths win as well. Taught in: Zugzwang and tempo
Zugzwang
A position where having to move does harm: every move makes things worse, and if one could pass, nothing would happen. The word is German. It decides many endings with only kings and pawns. Taught in: King and pawn endings