Chess


Glossary of Chess Terminology
blindfold - An expert player plays one or more opponents without sight of the board.
blitz - A fast game of chess usually clocked in 5 or 10 minutes.
center - The four squares in the middle of the board.
cheapo - A clever tactical combination or trap usually made by a losing side to hold a draw or even win.
development - The process of moving pieces from their original squares to positions where they can better aid the player's plans.
doubled pawns - Two pawns of the same color on the same file. Generally considered a disadvantage because the pawns cannot defend each other.
draughts - English word for what the Americans call the game of checkers.
draw - A common result in chess when neither side wins or loses. A draw may result when neither side has sufficient material to force a win, or agreement of both players, or etc.
ECO - The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings is a collection of texts detailing the moves of common chess opening lines with commentary. Common opening lines are classified by a de facto standard ECO code.
en prise - Said of a piece that can be captured.
en passant - A pawn capture where a pawn on the 5th row captures an opponent's pawn which has just move 2 squares forward on its first move as if it had moved only one square.
endgame - Also called "ending," it is the third and final phase of the game, in which each player has relatively few pieces remaining. The promotion of pawns is a common goal in the endgame.
EPD - Extended Position Description is a standard for describing chess positions along with an extended set of structured attribute values using the ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) character set. It is intended for data and command interchange among chess playing programs. It is also intended for the representation of portable opening library repositories. The first four fields of the EPD specification are the same as the first four fields of the closely related FEN specification. Like FEN, EPD can also be used for general position description. However, unlike FEN, EPD is designed to be expandable by the addition of new operations that provide new functionality as needs arise. A text file composed exclusively of EPD data records should have a file name with ".epd" as the suffix. More information can be found at this site.
exchange - The advantage of a Rook for a Bishop or Knight.
FEN - Forsyth-Edwards Notation is a standard for describing chess positions using the ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) character set. It is intended as a standard position notation for chess programmers, for page layout programs, and for confirming position status for e-mail competition. Six FEN fields specify the piece placement, the active color, the castling availability, the en passant target square, the half move clock, and the full move number. The first four fields of the FEN specification are the same as the first four fields of the closely related EPD specification. Like FEN, EPD can also be used for general position description. However, unlike EPD, FEN is not as expandable. FEN provides no means to add new operations that provide new functionality as needs arise. A text file composed exclusively of FEN data records should have a file name with ".fen" as the suffix. More information can be found at this site.
FIDE - Federation International des Echecs, one of the international governing bodies of chess.
file - A vertical (up and down) row of squares. The players' Kings start the game on the same file.
fish - A bad chess player.
fork - A tactical concept when a Knight attacks two or more opponent pieces at once.
grandmaster - An outstanding chess player. A title awarded by FIDE.
initiative - Control of the game, usually due to better placement of men and easier access to weaknesses in the opponent's position.
j'adoube - A notice to one's opponent that one is about to adjust the position of a piece on its square with no intention to move the piece to another square.
mate - Slang for checkmate, when a King cannot avoid capture.
material - The chess pieces. The player whose remaining pieces are of greater value is said to have a "material advantage."
middle game - The second phase of the game, in which development of the pieces is complete or nearly complete and many pieces are captured or traded as the players pursue their plans.
opening - The first phase of the game, in which players concentrate on development, gaining room for their pieces to maneuver, and on bringing their Kings to safety.
patzer - A bad chess player.
PCA - Professional Chess Association, one of the international governing bodies of chess.
PGN - Portable Game Notation is a standard designed for the representation of chess game data using ASCII text files. PGN is structured for easy reading and writing by human users and for easy parsing and generation by computer programs. A text file composed exclusively of PGN data records should have a file name with ".pgn" as the suffix. More information can be found at this site.
pin - A tactical concept when a piece cannot or should not move because it shields another piece from capture. The shielding piece is said to be pinned to the other piece.
position - The arrangement of chess pieces. The player whose pieces have better placement is said to have a "positional advantage."
promotion - When a pawn reaches the eighth (last) rank, the player "promotes" it to his choice of a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight.
rank - A horizontal (left to right) row of squares. The pawns start the game on each player's second rank.
rating - A rank, usually numerical, of a player's ability.
sac - A sacrifice of material for anticipated advantage.
sealed move - A move placed in an envelope when a game is adjourned.
simul - When one person plays chess with two or more opponents at the same time.
skewer - A tactical concept when a piece, usually a Bishop, attacks two or more opponent pieces on a row or diagonal.
stalemate - A drawn game when a no legal move is possible.
tempo - A turn at move.
USCF - United States Chess Federation, one of several American governing bodies of chess.
wood pusher - A bad chess player.
zugzwang - The compulsion to move. When a player would rather maintain the current position, but must move in turn.