Fundamental chess terms and definitions
Algebraic Notation: A method for writing moves down by using the names of the pieces and the ranks and files.
Attack: When you move a piece to a square where you can capture an opponent’s piece during the next turn.
Back Rank: Rank 1st for White and 8th for Black
Back-Rank Mate: A checkmate on the 1st or 8th rank with a Rook or Queen.
Capture: (or Take) not Kill – to remove a piece from the board via a legal move.
Castle: To move your King 2 squares toward a Rook and to move the Rook to the other side of the King.
Check: An attack on the King.
Checkmate: An attack on the King where there is no way for your opponent move out of check.
Draw: Any game that ends without either player winning.
En Passant: Capturing a pawn that moved 2 spaces with a pawn that could have captured it if it had only moved 1 space, on the next turn only.
Exchange: Trading pieces, usually of equal value.
File: The rows of a chess board going up and down, lettered a-h (lower case), with “a” always on White’s left (and Black’s right).
Fork: A double attack of 2 or more pieces by one of your pieces. It is a common chess tactic.
Illegal Move: A move that either a) Moves a piece in an illegal manner, or 2) Results in an illegal position.
Open File: A file with no pawns of either color.
Pin: An attack (by a Rook, Bishop or Queen) on a piece that cannot or should not move, because a piece behind the attacked piece is worth more.
Promote: When a pawn reaches the other side of the board, it can promote to a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight.
Rank: The rows of a chessboard going sideways, numbered 1st-8th starting from White’s side as 1st.
Repetition: A type of draw where the same position is reached three times with the same player to move.
Resigns: When one player forfeits the game. The player purposely turns down the King and says “I resign.”
Skewer: Sometimes called an "x-ray" attack. A move that attacks a piece of value, but there is a piece behind it of equal or lesser value that will be captured if the attacked piece moves.
Stalemate: When the player to move isn’t in check, but none of his pieces can move. This is a type of draw.
Tactics: The mechanics of combining piece moves and creating threats.
Touch Move: The rule that states if you touch a piece you have to move it. If you let go of a piece you have to leave it there, and if you touch an opponent’s piece, you have to take it the opponent’s piece if there is a legal move.
Additional chess terms and definitions
Absolute pin: A pin against the king is called absolute since the pinned piece cannot legally move out of the line of attack (as moving it would expose the king to check).
Adjust: To adjust the position of a piece on its square without being required to move it, compared to the touch move rule A player may do this only on their turn, and they must first say "I adjust", or the French equivalent J'adoube.
Annotation: Written commentary on a game or a position using words, chess symbols or notation.
Blindfold chess: A form of chess in which one or both players are not allowed to see the board
Blunder: A bad move or a mistake.
Book move: An opening move found in standard reference books on opening theory.
Castling long: Castling queenside; in chess notation: 0-0-0.
Castling short: Castling kingside; in chess notation: 0-0.
Center file: The king's file (e-file) or queen's file (d-file).
Closed position or open game: A closed position has few open lines (files or diagonals). It is generally characterized by interlocking pawn chains, cramped positions with few opportunities to exchange, and extensive maneuvering behind lines. This is opposite of a open position or open game.
Double attack: Two attacks made with one move: these attacks may be made by the same piece (in which case it is called a fork); or by different pieces
Gambit: A sacrifice (usually of a pawn) used to gain an early advantage in space or time in the opening.
Grandmaster: The highest title a chess player can attain.
Hanging pawns: Two pawns of the same color on adjacent files, with no pawns of the same color on the files either side of them.
Isolated pawn: A pawn with no pawn of the same color on an adjacent file
Light squares: The 32 light-colored squares on the chessboard, as opposed to dark square.
Major piece: A queen or a rook.
Minor piece: A bishop or a knight.
Open position or open game: A game in which exchanges have opened files and diagonals, and there are few pawns in the center, as opposed to a closed game or a closed position.
Passed pawn: A pawn that has no pawn of the opposite color on its file or on any adjacent files on its way to the other side of the board.
Pawn structure: The placement of the pawns during the course of a game
Tempo: A unit of time considered as one move. A player may gain a tempo in the opening when the opponent moves the same piece twice.
USCF: An abbreviation for the United States Chess Federation.
Windmill: A combination in which two pieces work together to deliver an alternating series of checks and discovered checks in such a way that the opposing king is required to move on each turn.
Zugzwang: When a player is put at a disadvantage by having to make a move; where any legal move weakens the position.
Zwischenzug: An "inbetween" move played before an expected reply.
