Chess Terms: A Glossary for Beginners (A to Z)

A beginner-friendly A to Z glossary of chess terms: from blunder, en prise and fianchetto to zugzwang and zwischenzug, with plain-English definitions.

Chess has its own vocabulary, borrowed from English, French, German and Italian. If you have ever heard a commentator say "he's in zugzwang after the fianchetto" and wondered what happened, this glossary is for you. Terms are grouped alphabetically, with short, plain-English definitions and links to longer guides.

Chess terms A to D

Adjust (J'adoube)

Saying "I adjust" or "J'adoube" before straightening a piece on its square, so the touch-move rule does not apply.

Algebraic notation

The standard way to write chess moves, using square names like e4 and piece letters like N for knight. See chess notation.

Arbiter

The official who enforces the rules in a FIDE tournament. In US Chess events, this role is called the tournament director (TD).

Back rank

A player's first rank (the 1st for White, the 8th for Black). A king trapped there behind its own pawns can fall to a back-rank mate.

Bishop pair

Having both bishops while the opponent does not. In open positions, the bishop pair is a small but lasting advantage.

Blitz

A fast game, usually 3 to 10 minutes per player. See chess time controls.

Blunder

A very bad move that loses material or the game. Written with "??" in notation.

Bullet

A very fast game with less than about three minutes per player.

Castling

A special move of the king and a rook to bring the king to safety. See castling.

Center

The four central squares (e4, d4, e5, d5) and, more broadly, the middle of the board. Controlling the center is the first opening principle.

Check

An attack on the king. The player in check must get out of it immediately.

Checkmate

A check with no legal way out. It ends the game. See check, checkmate and stalemate.

Combination

A forcing sequence of moves, often including a sacrifice, that leads to a clear gain.

Development

Bringing pieces from their starting squares into play, especially knights and bishops in the opening.

Discovered attack

Moving one piece to uncover an attack by another piece behind it. See chess tactics for beginners.

Double check

Check given by two pieces at once. The king must move.

Doubled pawns

Two pawns of the same color on the same file, usually a weakness.

Draw

A game that ends with no winner; each player scores half a point. See draw rules.

Chess terms E to K

Elo

The rating system invented by Arpad Elo, and a common name for any chess rating. See chess ratings explained.

En passant

A special pawn capture of a pawn that has just moved two squares. See en passant.

En prise

French for "in take": a piece that is attacked and can be captured for free. Also called a hanging piece.

Endgame

The final phase of a game, when few pieces remain and kings become active.

Exchange

Trading pieces. "Winning the exchange" specifically means winning a rook for a bishop or knight.

Fianchetto

Developing a bishop on the long diagonal after moving the knight's pawn one square, as in g3 and Bg2:

File

A vertical column of squares, labeled a to h.

Flag

To run out of time. "His flag fell" means his clock reached zero.

Fork

One piece attacking two or more enemy pieces at once.

Gambit

An opening in which a player sacrifices material, usually a pawn, for faster development or attack. The Queen's Gambit is the best-known example.

Grandmaster (GM)

The highest title awarded by FIDE, requiring a 2500 rating and three grandmaster norms.

Hanging piece

A piece that is attacked and not defended, so it can be taken for free.

Isolated pawn

A pawn with no friendly pawns on the files next to it. It cannot be protected by other pawns.

Kingside

The half of the board where the kings start (the e- to h-files). Kingside castling is O-O.

Chess terms L to P

Luft

German for "air": a pawn move that gives the king an escape square, preventing back-rank mates.

Material

The pieces and pawns on the board. "Up material" means having more or more valuable pieces.

Middlegame

The phase after the opening, when most pieces are developed and plans and tactics take center stage.

Mobility

How many moves your pieces have. Active pieces with many squares are usually better.

Norm

An excellent performance in a qualifying tournament, needed (along with a rating) for the GM and IM titles.

Open file

A file with no pawns on it. Rooks are strongest on open files.

Opening

The first phase of the game, when players develop pieces and fight for the center. See chess openings for beginners.

Opposition

In king endgames, the kings standing face to face with one square between them. The side that does not have to move "has the opposition", often decisive in pawn endings.

Passed pawn

A pawn with no enemy pawns in front of it or on the neighboring files. It can only be stopped by pieces and often promotes.

Perpetual check

An endless series of checks that leads to a draw by repetition.

PGN

Portable Game Notation, the standard text file format for chess games.

Pin

A piece that cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it. An absolute pin is to the king.

Promotion

Turning a pawn that reaches the last rank into a queen, rook, bishop or knight. See pawn promotion.

Chess terms Q to Z

Queenside

The half of the board where the queens start (the a- to d-files). Queenside castling is O-O-O.

Rank

A horizontal row of squares, numbered 1 to 8.

Rapid

A game of roughly 10 to 60 minutes per player.

Resign

To give up the game before checkmate. Resigning is a normal, polite way to end a hopeless game.

Sacrifice

Deliberately giving up material for an advantage such as an attack or a better position.

Skewer

An attack on a valuable piece that, when it moves, exposes a less valuable piece behind it.

Stalemate

When the player to move has no legal moves and is not in check. The game is a draw.

Tempo

A unit of time in chess: one move. "Gaining a tempo" means making a useful move while forcing the opponent to respond.

Threefold repetition

The same position occurring three times, which allows a draw claim.

Touch-move

The rule that a deliberately touched piece must be moved (or captured, if it is the opponent's).

Underpromotion

Promoting a pawn to a rook, bishop or knight instead of a queen.

Zugzwang

German for "compulsion to move": a position where any move makes things worse, but passing is not allowed. Common in endgames.

Zwischenzug

German for "in-between move": an unexpected move, often a check or threat, played before the expected recapture.