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Chess terms, tactics, and traps, explained.
77 chess terms in plain English, each with a short definition, board examples you can follow move by move, and the questions players ask next.
Tactics
- ForkWhat Is a Fork in Chess?
- PinWhat Is a Pin in Chess?
- SkewerWhat Is a Skewer in Chess?
- Discovered AttackWhat Is a Discovered Attack in Chess?
- Discovered CheckWhat Is a Discovered Check in Chess?
- Double CheckWhat Is a Double Check in Chess?
- Double AttackWhat Is a Double Attack in Chess?
- Removing the DefenderWhat Is Removing the Defender in Chess?
- DeflectionWhat Is a Deflection in Chess?
- DecoyWhat Is a Decoy in Chess?
- OverloadingWhat Is Overloading in Chess?
- InterferenceWhat Is Interference in Chess?
- Clearance SacrificeWhat Is a Clearance Sacrifice in Chess?
- ZwischenzugWhat Is a Zwischenzug in Chess?
- DesperadoWhat Is a Desperado in Chess?
- X-rayWhat Is an X-ray Attack in Chess?
- WindmillWhat Is a Windmill in Chess?
- Trapped PieceWhat Is a Trapped Piece in Chess?
- BatteryWhat Is a Battery in Chess?
- Greek Gift SacrificeWhat Is the Greek Gift Sacrifice in Chess?
- Exchange SacrificeWhat Is an Exchange Sacrifice in Chess?
Checkmate patterns
- Back-Rank MateWhat Is a Back-Rank Mate in Chess?
- Smothered MateWhat Is a Smothered Mate in Chess?
- Scholar's MateWhat Is Scholar's Mate in Chess?
- Fool's MateWhat Is Fool's Mate in Chess?
- Ladder MateWhat Is the Ladder Mate in Chess?
- Anastasia's MateWhat Is Anastasia's Mate in Chess?
- Arabian MateWhat Is the Arabian Mate in Chess?
- Boden's MateWhat Is Boden's Mate in Chess?
- Epaulette MateWhat Is the Epaulette Mate in Chess?
- Damiano's MateWhat Is Damiano's Mate in Chess?
- Opera MateWhat Is the Opera Mate in Chess?
Traps
- Légal's MateLégal's Mate: The Trap and How It Works
- Elephant TrapThe Elephant Trap: Queen's Gambit Declined Trap
- Fishing Pole TrapThe Fishing Pole Trap in the Ruy Lopez
- Lasker TrapThe Lasker Trap in the Albin Countergambit
- Blackburne Shilling TrapThe Blackburne Shilling Trap: Moves and Refutation
- Englund Gambit TrapThe Englund Gambit Trap: Moves and How to Avoid It
- Siberian TrapThe Siberian Trap in the Smith-Morra Gambit
- Noah's Ark TrapThe Noah's Ark Trap in the Ruy Lopez
Strategy
- DevelopmentWhat Is Development in Chess?
- TempoWhat Is a Tempo in Chess?
- InitiativeWhat Is the Initiative in Chess?
- OutpostWhat Is an Outpost in Chess?
- Open fileWhat Is an Open File in Chess?
- Rook on the seventhRook on the Seventh Rank: Why It Is So Strong
- Bishop pairWhat Is the Bishop Pair in Chess?
- Bad bishopWhat Is a Bad Bishop in Chess?
- FianchettoWhat Is a Fianchetto in Chess?
- ProphylaxisWhat Is Prophylaxis in Chess?
- BlockadeWhat Is a Blockade in Chess?
- LuftWhat Is Luft in Chess?
Pawn structure
- Passed pawnWhat Is a Passed Pawn in Chess?
- Isolated pawnWhat Is an Isolated Pawn in Chess?
- Doubled pawnsWhat Are Doubled Pawns in Chess?
- Backward pawnWhat Is a Backward Pawn in Chess?
- Hanging pawnsWhat Are Hanging Pawns in Chess?
- Pawn chainWhat Is a Pawn Chain in Chess?
- Pawn breakWhat Is a Pawn Break in Chess?
- Minority attackWhat Is a Minority Attack in Chess?
- Pawn stormWhat Is a Pawn Storm in Chess?
Endgames
- OppositionWhat Is the Opposition in Chess?
- ZugzwangWhat Is Zugzwang in Chess?
- TriangulationWhat Is Triangulation in Chess?
- Rule of the squareThe Rule of the Square in Chess Endgames
- Lucena positionThe Lucena Position: Building a Bridge to Win
- Philidor positionThe Philidor Position: The Third-Rank Defense
Rules
- CheckmateWhat Is Checkmate in Chess?
- StalemateWhat Is Stalemate in Chess?
- En passantEn Passant: The Chess Rule Explained
- CastlingCastling in Chess: The Rules and When You Can't
- Pawn promotionPawn Promotion in Chess: The Rules Explained
- Perpetual checkWhat Is Perpetual Check in Chess?
- Threefold repetitionThreefold Repetition in Chess: How It Works
- Fifty-move ruleThe Fifty-Move Rule in Chess Explained
- Insufficient materialInsufficient Material in Chess: When Is It a Draw?
- Touch-move ruleThe Touch-Move Rule in Chess Explained
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