Chess glossary

Plain-language definitions of common chess terms.

ForkA tactic in which a single piece attacks two or more enemy targets at the same time, so th…PinA tactic where a piece cannot (or should not) move because doing so would expose a more va…SkewerA tactic like a pin in reverse: a valuable piece is attacked and, when it moves, a less va…TempoA single unit of time in chess — one move. You 'gain a tempo' when you develop a piece whi…ZugzwangA position where any move a player makes worsens their position — they would prefer not to…OppositionA king-and-pawn endgame technique: when the kings face each other with one square between …FianchettoDeveloping a bishop to the long diagonal by playing the knight's-pawn one square (e.g. g3 …GambitAn opening in which a player deliberately sacrifices material — usually a pawn — to gain r…ZwischenzugGerman for 'in-between move': instead of making an expected recapture or response, you ins…OutpostA square — usually in or near the enemy camp — where a piece (typically a knight) can sit …ProphylaxisPreventive play: making a move that stops the opponent's plan before pursuing your own. A …Discovered attackA tactic where moving one piece reveals an attack from another piece behind it. Because th…Double attackAny move that creates two threats simultaneously, so the opponent cannot meet both. A fork…BatteryTwo pieces aligned on the same rank, file, or diagonal so they support each other's attack…Passed pawnA pawn with no enemy pawns ahead of it on its own file or the two adjacent files, so no pa…Isolated pawnA pawn with no friendly pawns on the files beside it, so it can't be defended by another p…Doubled pawnsTwo pawns of the same colour on the same file, the result of a capture. They can't defend …En priseFrench for 'in take' — a piece that is left undefended where it can be captured for free i…LuftGerman for 'air' — a small escape square made for a castled king by advancing one of the p…InitiativeThe ability to make threats that force the opponent to react rather than pursue their own …DevelopmentThe process of moving your pieces from their starting squares to active ones in the openin…Skewer vs pinBoth are line tactics, but they're opposites: in a pin the less valuable piece is in front…Open fileA file with no pawns of either colour on it. Open files are highways for rooks and queens,…OverloadingGiving a single defending piece more jobs than it can handle. By attacking one of its duti…Back-rank mateA checkmate delivered by a rook or queen along the king's back rank, where the king is hem…IntermezzoAn 'in-between' move (also zwischenzug): instead of making the move your opponent expects …Discovered checkA check revealed by moving a piece out of the way of a friendly rook, bishop, or queen. Be…Minor pieceA knight or bishop — each worth roughly three pawns. The term distinguishes them from the …Major pieceA rook or queen — the 'heavy' pieces, worth five and nine pawns. They control entire ranks…CentralizationPlacing pieces toward the centre, where they control the most squares and can swing to eit…Space advantageHaving pawns and pieces that control more of the board, usually by advancing pawns into th…Weak squareA square that can no longer be defended by a pawn, making it an ideal home for an enemy pi…SacrificeDeliberately giving up material to gain something greater — an attack, a passed pawn, a ma…DecoyA tactic that lures an enemy piece (often the king) onto a bad square, where it can be att…DeflectionA tactic that forces an enemy piece away from an important defensive duty — guarding a squ…InterferenceA tactic that interrupts the line between an enemy piece and what it defends by interposin…

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