Glosario de ajedrez en línea para niños y padres
¡Bienvenidos al glosario y diccionario de ChessKid.com!
A continuación, encontrará una lista de palabras, frases y términos de ajedrez de uso común, ¡definidos solo para niños!
Es un placer para nosotros proporcionar esta lista de definiciones originales, "aptas para niños" y oraciones de ejemplo del popular "vocabulario de ajedrez". Prometemos mantener esta lista actualizada y disponible para que pueda consultarla cuando sea necesario.
La frase "clavada absoluta" se usa cuando una pieza está fijada, y sería absolutamente ilegal alejar la pieza fijada del ataque. Ejemplo: "Moví mi alfil para atacar, y clavé el caballo de mi oponente a su rey. Sabía que mi alfil estaba poniendo al caballo en una clavada absoluta, porque mi oponente nunca podría mover ese caballo inmovilizado mientras el rey estaba detrás”.
Aceptar en el ajedrez es también estar de acuerdo. Un jugador de ajedrez puede "aceptar" una oferta de tablas de su oponente. En el ajedrez, un jugador a menudo "acepta" un sacrificio de peón capturándolo (esto también se conoce como "gambito"). Aceptar una pieza a menudo implica que ha capturado esa pieza. Ejemplo: "Acepté el sacrificio de mi oponente capturando al caballo".
Tener una pieza activa o "piezas activas" es tener las piezas en posición, o en las casillas donde están creando amenazas. Aunque una pieza no tiene que estar "centralizada" para estar activa, la mayoría de las veces una pieza que está en el centro del tablero es una pieza activa.
Fijar la colocación de una pieza. Los jugadores deben anunciar "Acomodo” o “Ajusto", antes de arreglar la ubicación de una pieza. De lo contrario, pueden verse obligados a mover la pieza por la regla de TOCADA-MOVIDA.
Tener ventaja en el ajedrez significa que tu posición es mejor. A veces, un jugador puede tener una "ligera ventaja", lo que significa que su posición es un poco mejor que la posición de su oponente. Para saber quién tiene la ventaja, generalmente se suman varios factores: material, actividad de piezas, seguridad del rey y la estructura de peones, serían los factores más comunes para ayudar a un jugador a descubrir quién tiene la ventaja.
La notación algebraica es la forma moderna (nueva y utilizada por los mejores jugadores del mundo) de realizar un seguimiento de los movimientos realizados en sus partidas de ajedrez. La mayoría de los tableros de ajedrez "estilo torneo" tienen letras y números a los lados (letras que van de la a-h y números del 1 al 8). La notación algebraica es un sistema que usa esas letras y números para que cada movimiento jugado en un juego de ajedrez tenga un nombre. Ejemplo: "Para comenzar la partida con blancas, Billy decide mover su caballo de g1-f3. Luego escribe, en notación algebraica, 1. Cf3".
Un "reloj analógico" es un temporizador de ajedrez que, como un reloj digital, realiza un seguimiento del tiempo total restante en la partida de ajedrez que está jugando. Un reloj analógico parece un reloj normal, con una manecilla grande para los minutos y una manecilla pequeña para las horas; las manecillas muestran a cada jugador el tiempo restante para el resto de sus movimientos en la partida.
El análisis es una explicación de lo que sucedió o pudo haber sucedido en una partida de ajedrez. Mira también la palabra 'Analizar'.
"Analizar" una posición es tratar de averiguar qué debería haber hecho o podría haber hecho, o qué debería haber hecho o podría haber hecho su oponente en una partida de ajedrez. Si analiza sus partidas de ajedrez, puede aprender tanto de sus errores como de los de su oponente. Los mejores ajedrecistas del mundo pasan horas y, a veces, días analizando sus propias partidas.
Una persona que comenta sobre un juego, señala cosas que podrían haber sucedido, muestra errores y explica ideas.
Un árbitro es la persona que ayuda a los jugadores de ajedrez con las reglas durante un torneo de ajedrez. El árbitro conoce y hace cumplir estas reglas de manera justa.
Atacar una pieza es amenazar con capturar esa pieza. Atacar también puede significar coordinar algunas piezas o todas las piezas hacia un objetivo.
Un mate en la fila posterior ocurre cuando una torre o dama da jaque mate a un rey enemigo que está atrapado en la primera y octava fila por sus propios peones.
Un peón cuyo peón o peones vecinos han avanzado por delante de él. Un peón atrasado no puede ser defendido por otro peón y no puede ser apoyado para avanzar por otro peón.
Un alfil malo es un alfil que ha sido "bloqueado" por sus propios peones de color. Por ejemplo, este alfil tendrá opciones o movilidad limitadas.
La base de una cadena de peones es el peón al comienzo de la cadena. Por ejemplo, si las blancas tienen una cadena de peones a lo largo de las casillas de f2, e3, d4 y c5, el peón base es el peón f2. Este peón se considera el peón más importante en términos de mantener la cadena unida, y generalmente es el peón más difícil de atacar para el enemigo (en este caso, las negras).
Se crea una batería cuando dos o más piezas están alineadas, atacando directamente un punto, peón o casilla en el tablero de ajedrez. El término "batería" se usa normalmente cuando las piezas mayores, como la dama y dos torres están alineadas en una fila abierta, atacando una casilla o peón en el tablero de ajedrez. Si ellos (la dama y las torres, por ejemplo) van a hacer este gran avance (tal vez la captura del peón), la batería suele ser lo suficientemente poderosa como para destruir la posición del oponente.
Poseer la pareja de alfiles es cuando cualquiera de los lados tiene dos alfiles contra un alfil y un caballo del oponente o dos caballos. Debido a que los alfiles se desempeñan bien en posiciones abiertas, y debido a que la mayoría de las posiciones eventualmente se abrirán [ya que es probable que ocurran intercambios, el par de alfiles generalmente se considera una pequeña ventaja. Si un jugador poseía los dos caballos, podría intentar mantener la posición cerrada para evitar que la pareja de alfiles se apodere del tablero de ajedrez.
Una partida de ajedrez "con la venda en los ojos" se juega sólo "en la mente" de dos oponentes. Esto significa que los jugadores deciden un movimiento, anuncian el movimiento a su oponente [usualmente usando notación algebraica, y luego esperan a que su oponente les diga lo que le gustaría jugar. No es necesario un tablero de ajedrez para jugar al "ajedrez con los ojos vendados". El ajedrez con los ojos vendados es difícil, y sólo lo practican "bien" los ajedrecistas muy experimentados (nivel Maestro y superior).
Una partida de ajedrez blitz es una partida de ajedrez que se juega con muy poco tiempo en el reloj para cualquiera de los jugadores. Normalmente, se juega una partida "blitz" con 5 minutos para que cada jugador complete el juego completo.
Hacer un bloqueo es colocar una pieza delante de otra pieza, y así evitar que esa pieza avance. El bloqueo más común podría ser colocar una pieza (generalmente un caballo) frente a un peón. Colocar una pieza delante de un peón pasado (ver "peón pasado") suele ser una buena idea, y los caballos son muy buenos al bloquear porque son las únicas piezas que atacan por encima y alrededor de otras piezas.
El término "casilla de bloqueo" generalmente se refiere a la casilla directamente enfrente de un peón, y esa casilla está mejor ocupada por un caballo, como se indicó anteriormente.
Un error es un mal movimiento que cambia el curso de la partida. Por ejemplo, si un jugador está en una posición igual y "hace un movimiento que es un error", su posición puede empeorar inmediatamente y, a veces, perder. En la notación de ajedrez, a un error se le da a menudo el "?" símbolo. Ejemplo: "Jane movió su dama a una casilla que estaba custodiada por el caballo enemigo. Su oponente inmediatamente capturó a la dama gratis. Jane se dio cuenta después de que había perdido la partida porque había cometido un error con su dama".
Una apertura de la posición, generalmente con un empujón de peón o un sacrificio.
Se otorga un premio de brillantez al juego más original o hermoso de un torneo. Ganar un premio a la brillantez es un honor importante. Los premios de brillantez reconocen la creatividad y la imaginación de un jugador.
Es una popular y divertida "forma diferente de jugar al ajedrez". Bughouse se juega en dos tableros de ajedrez por cuatro jugadores en equipos de dos. Se aplican las reglas normales del ajedrez, excepto que las piezas capturadas en un tablero se pasan a los jugadores del otro tablero (el compañero de equipo), y su compañero de equipo tiene la opción de poner estas piezas en su tablero.
Un juego de ajedrez bala es un juego de ajedrez que se juega con muy poco tiempo en el reloj para cualquiera de los jugadores. "Bullet" se define como cualquier cosa menos de 3 minutos, sin incremento de tiempo para ninguno de los jugadores.
Un descanso es algo que un jugador solicita durante un torneo cuando no puede jugar la partida de esa ronda. Se debe solicitar un descanso al Árbitro / Director del torneo mucho antes del comienzo de la ronda. Ejemplo: "Michael pidió un descanso para la segunda ronda del torneo de ajedrez de cuatro rondas para poder ir a jugar su partido de fútbol".
Calcular en el ajedrez es intentar ver hacia adelante en el juego, sin mover las piezas. Un jugador que tiene "buenas habilidades de cálculo" es capaz de pensar con mucha antelación sobre lo que podría hacer, así como lo que podría hacer el oponente.
Un candidato es otra forma de decir "opción". Cuando dos personas se postulan para presidente de los Estados Unidos, tienes la "opción" de votar por cualquiera de los "candidatos". Buscar jugadas candidatas en el ajedrez significa que no está jugando demasiado rápido y que está tratando de considerar más de una opción. Ejemplo: "El entrenador de ajedrez de Tom le dijo que encontrar jugadas candidatas es algo muy bueno y que debería practicar la búsqueda de jugadas candidatas en cada turno".
Capturar simplemente significa que estás quitando una de las piezas de tu oponente del tablero moviendo tu pieza a esa casilla. "Capturas una pieza" moviéndola para ocupar la casilla en la que se encuentra la pieza de tu oponente.
Enrocar es mover tu rey y una de tus torres al mismo tiempo. ¡El enroque es el único momento en el ajedrez en el que puedes mover dos de tus propias piezas en un solo movimiento! Puedes enrocar cuando: 1. Tu rey todavía está en su casilla original y aún no se ha movido; 2. Una de tus torres (ya sea en a1 o h1) todavía está en su casilla original y aún no se ha movido; 3. Su rey no está en jaque, no se "moverá a través de jaque" durante el enroque, ni el rey estará en jaque al final del enroque.
Enroque largo significa enrocar en el lado de la dama ya que la torre hace un movimiento más largo que cuando se enroca en el lado del rey.
Enrocar en el lado que requiere un salto más corto de la torre. También se le llama "enroque en el flanco de rey". Por lo general, se indica en notación con "0-0".
La palabra centro en el ajedrez se refiere al centro o medio del tablero (típicamente las casillas e4, d4, d5 y e5). El centro puede describirse como el centro literal (los cuatro cuadrados mencionados anteriormente) o puede extenderse a los cuadrados f4, e4, d4, c4, c5, d5, e5 y f5). Este término se usa comúnmente en la etapa de Apertura de la partida como una recomendación sobre dónde debes desarrollar tus piezas. Ejemplo: "Daniel aprendió que acercar tus piezas y atacar constantemente el centro, es un gran plan".
Los peones centrales se consideran los peones e y d tanto para las blancas como para las negras. El término "peones centrales" también puede extenderse a los peones f y c.
El término "centralización" significa "centralizar", y esta palabra se usa para describir el acto de "llevar tus piezas hacia el centro". La "centralización" de una pieza significa que esa pieza se coloca en una buena casilla, y esta casilla suele ser e4, d4, d5 o e5.
Chaturanga es una de las formas más antiguas de ajedrez. Fue inventado en la India en el siglo VI y tenía reglas ligeramente diferentes a las que usamos hoy.
Cuando un rey (el rey de las blancas o el rey de las negras) está siendo atacado por una pieza del oponente. "Poner a tu oponente en jaque" es atacar a su rey con una de tus piezas. Si un rey está bajo jaque, ¡debe encontrar seguridad de inmediato!
Jaque mate es el final de una partida de ajedrez. Cuando el rey blanco o negro está siendo atacado por la pieza del oponente, y 1. El rey no puede moverse a un lugar seguro; 2. La pieza que está haciendo jaque (atacante) no se puede bloquear; 3. La pieza que está haciendo jaque no se puede captura. ¡El objetivo de cada juego de ajedrez es dar jaque mate al rey del oponente!
Un reloj o reloj de ajedrez es un temporizador. Se usa un reloj analógico o digital para rastrear cuánto tiempo se está usando para el juego. Es típico que un torneo de ajedrez requiera el uso de un reloj de ajedrez, ya que esto ayuda a los jugadores a controlar su tiempo. Si un jugador "se queda sin tiempo en el reloj" durante una partida de ajedrez, "perderá esa partida”.
Un juego cerrado es uno con una estructura de peones bloqueada y pocas columnas, filas y diagonales abiertas.
Una combinación es una serie de movimientos forzosos que conducen a un resultado favorable.
Por ejemplo, juegas un movimiento. La respuesta de tu oponente (tal vez una recaptura) es forzada. Luego juegas un movimiento que ataca al rey y la torre de tu oponente, ganando la torre. Encontrar combinaciones simples como esta es una parte importante del ajedrez.
Un beneficio que obtiene por un sacrificio de algún tipo. Por ejemplo, si sacrificas un alfil por dos peones y un ataque al rey, tu compensación por el material sacrificado es el ataque al rey.
El término peones pasados conectados, a veces denominados "pasados conectados", se refiere a un par (que significa dos) de peones pasados conectados. Esto significa que un jugador posee dos peones pasados, y estos peones pasados están "conectados" en dos columnas adyacentes. Por ejemplo, si un jugador tiene peones a y b, y ambos fueron pasados, esto significaría que habría "peones pasados conectados”.
Consolidar es hacer que su posición vuelva a ser sólida. A menudo es necesario consolidar después de haber ganado material o aceptado un sacrificio.
El contrajuego ocurre cuando estás en una peor posición, pero puedes crear amenazas, que hacen que sea más difícil para tu oponente ganar la partida. Crear un contrajuego es una parte importante de una buena defensa.
Una posición apretada no tiene suficiente espacio para acomodar las piezas de un jugador. Por lo general, la estrategia correcta es intercambiar piezas. El jugador aún carecerá de espacio, pero es posible que no esté abarrotado.
El término "Posición crítica" significa que ha llegado al momento del juego en el que cada movimiento que hagan usted y su oponente podría determinar el "resultado" (es decir, quién gana) la partida. La "posición crítica" se considera uno de los momentos más importantes de la partida, si no el más importante, y suele ser la jugada en la que ambos jugadores tomarán mucho tiempo en su reloj.
Rechazar algo es no aceptarlo. Por ejemplo, un jugador puede rechazar un sacrificio o una oferta de tablas.
Jugar a la defensiva, o defender, es proteger. Uno podría "defender" un peón con una pieza, o podría "jugar a la defensa en el flanco de rey para detener las amenazas de su oponente en ese lado del tablero.
Una táctica que distrae a la pieza del oponente de su deber, como defender una pieza o una casilla clave.
Ruptura significa romper algo, como la estructura de peones alrededor del rey del oponente.
Una forma más antigua de notación de ajedrez. Los movimientos que hacen los jugadores se escriben "descriptivamente", en lugar de usar letras y números para señalar las casillas del tablero. La notación descriptiva generalmente se considera más confusa y rara vez se usa más.
Desarrollar es sacar las piezas de su posición inicial. Si tienes una ventaja en el desarrollo, tienes más piezas fuera de sus casillas iniciales y en el juego que tu oponente.
Desviarse es jugar algo diferente a la línea principal. Si un jugador se desvía en la apertura, está jugando algo que no es común o esperado.
Una línea de casillas, que son todos de un solo color (ya sea blanco o negro). Por ejemplo, hay una diagonal que va desde la esquina inferior izquierda (a1) a la esquina superior derecha (h8). Esta es una de las dos "diagonales largas". Los alfiles y las damas se mueven a lo largo de diagonales.
Un diagrama es una imagen tomada del tablero de ajedrez mientras las piezas están colocadas en una posición particular. Mientras lee cualquiera de nuestros artículos educativos aquí en ChessKid.com, probablemente encontrará diagramas del tablero de ajedrez diseñados para ayudarlo a aprender más sobre las diferentes estrategias del ajedrez.
Un reloj de ajedrez que funciona con electricidad. Los relojes digitales son más precisos que los analógicos de cuerda y pueden tener incrementos.
Un ataque que ocurre cuando una pieza atacante se aparta del camino, abriendo una línea para que otra pieza atacante amenace al oponente. Imagínese un caballo blanco frente a un alfil blanco, que apunta a una dama negra. El caballo blanco se aparta, abriendo el camino para que el alfil amenace con llevarse la dama negra. Este es un ataque descubierto. Un jaque descubierto es lo mismo, pero la pieza amenazada es el rey, por lo que es un jaque.
Un ataque a dos cosas a la vez. Esto ocurre a menudo como resultado de una bifurcación o un ataque descubierto. La ventaja de un ataque doble es que al defensor le resulta difícil defender dos cosas con una sola jugada, por lo que podría perder una de las piezas.
Un jaque doble ataca dos piezas al mismo tiempo. Esto siempre ocurre como resultado de un jaque a la descubierta. Imagínese una torre negra apuntando a un rey blanco, con un caballero negro en el medio. El caballo se mueve, poniendo al rey blanco en jaque y también abriendo el camino para que la torre negra haga jaque al rey. Así que el rey está bajo jaque tanto del caballo como de la torre al mismo tiempo. Esto es un jaque doble.
Dos peones del mismo color que se coloca uno frente al otro en la misma columna. Dado que todos los peones comienzan uno al lado del otro, cada uno en una columna diferente. Los peones doblados son a menudo una debilidad, ya que no pueden protegerse entre sí y tampoco pueden moverse con tanta facilidad.
Las tablas es un juego empatado. En caso de empate, nadie gana. Si juegas en un torneo, tú y tu oponente obtendrán cada uno medio punto por empatar. Si uno de ustedes gana, obtiene el punto completo y el perdedor no obtiene puntos.
Cuando un jugador le pide a su oponente que acepte un juego empatado. Un jugador puede "ofrecer un empate" cuando la posición es muy igualada (nadie tiene muchas posibilidades de ganar) o por otras razones. El oponente que recibe una oferta de empate puede aceptarla (ver "aceptar"), en cuyo caso el juego es un empate; o rechazarlo (ver "rechazar"), en cuyo caso el juego continúa.
Dos peones del mismo color que se coloca uno frente al otro en la misma columna. Dado que todos los peones comienzan uno al lado del otro, cada uno en una columna diferente. Los peones doblados son a menudo una debilidad, ya que no pueden protegerse entre sí y tampoco pueden moverse con tanta facilidad.
Abreviatura de "Enciclopedia de Aperturas de Ajedrez", un libro que se actualiza constantemente y que enumera todas las aperturas (ver "apertura") y muestra muchas formas en que puede desarrollarse el juego al principio. Ofrece miles de variaciones (ver "variación") y análisis (ver "análisis") que describen lo que los autores piensan de ellos. También tiene un sistema de codificación que permite a los jugadores buscar los movimientos iniciales por un número, como "B78" (que es un código ECO para el Dragón Siciliano, un tipo particular de apertura)..
Es un número que describe el nivel de habilidad de un jugador de ajedrez, en una escala de 100 a aproximadamente 3000. (Ver "calificación"). El sistema fue inventado por Arpad Elo. La calificación Elo del jugador aumenta si gana y disminuye si pierde. Se ganan más puntos al vencer a un jugador con una calificación más alta y se pierden más puntos al perder contra un jugador con una calificación más baja.
La captura al paso es una regla especial que permite a los peones capturar (ver "capturar") peones enemigos que intentan pasarlos por alto. Si un peón enemigo mueve dos casillas en un turno y aterriza junto a uno de tus peones, puede ser capturado como si solo hubiera movido una casilla. Una captura al paso debe realizarse inmediatamente después de que el peón enemigo se mueva o se perderá el derecho a capturar al paso.
En Francés "tomar"; significa una pieza que puede ser capturada (ver "capturar") por el oponente. Por ejemplo, si un caballo ataca a una reina, se dice que esa reina está en prise.
Evaluar una posición en el ajedrez es decidir quién crees que tiene la mejor posición: las blancas o las negras. Tu entrenador podría darte una posición para resolver en la que se te pedirá que evalúes la posición y determines qué movimiento es mejor. Eso significa que debes decidir quién se destaca mejor y en qué medida. Entonces deberías encontrar un movimiento fuerte que mejore la evaluación de tu lado.
- Forced means "the only way possible". If a move is forced, then there are no other options. Example: "Tom played a move that forced me to give up my knight, and I had no choice."
- To forfeit a game is to lose. The term forfeit can also mean that someone resigned (see "resign"). To have a "forfeit loss" means that someone lost the game without even showing up to play. If a player is more than one hour late for a game, he/she will be given a "forfeit loss".
- A fork is a double attack (see "double attack"). Most of the time, we use the term fork to describe a double attack by the knight or the pawn. Example: "Our coach told us that when a knight attacks the enemy king and queen at the same time, this is called a Royal Fork."
- The word formation is another way of saying "setup". A strong (good) formation or setup of your pieces might have them all placed in the center (see "center") of the board, or it might mean that your pieces are on good squares to attack (see "attack")."A good attacking formation" means "a good setup for your pieces to start an attack".
- A fortress is a wall or blockade (see "blockade") that extends through out a certain area of the board, and would be very difficult to breakdown. To have a fortress surrounding your king, would suggest that your king is very safe.
- A gambit is an opening where one player sacrifices (allows the opponent to take) a small amount of material, such as a pawn or two, in the hopes of getting something in return for their sacrifice (see "sacrifice"). Often gambits involve sacrificing a pawn for a lead in development or control of the center. It is easy to remember "gambit", since it sounds like "gamble". When you are sacrificing material, you are taking a bit of a gamble.
- A bishop which is on the opposite color of most of its pawns. Since bishops always stay on the same color squares, if most of that side's pawns are on the opposite color, they will not block the bishop; so it will be able to move around the board freely.
- The highest international title which one can get (except for world champion) in chess. To become a grandmaster you need to get an international Elo rating (see "Elo Rating") of 2500, and fulfill three norms (see "norm"). "GM" is short for grandmaster.
- A very short draw by agreement, without any real battle and often agreed beforehand. Players do this for practical reasons, but sometimes it is frowned upon.
- A file which has only one side's pawn on it. So it is "open" for the side which does not have a pawn, and he/she can use it for the rooks. See also "open file" and "file".
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A piece that can be taken for free (see also "en prise"). For example, if a rook is being threatened by a pawn, that rook is said to be hanging, no matter whose move it is.
- Two of one side's pawns, standing side-by-side, with no other pawns of the same color on either side of them. For example, if White has pawns on d4 and c4, and no pawns on the b- or e- files, then he/she has hanging pawns.
- A rook or a queen; see also "major piece".
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A checkmate (see "checkmate") in which a piece attacking the king is defended by a "helper." The queen and helper mate, in which the queen attacks the king from up close with the support of a defensive helper, is the most common type of checkmate.
- A square, usually in the opponent's side of the board, that can never be protected by a pawn. Holes make great posts (see also "outpost") for your pieces, especially knights.
- An opening strategy that does not try to occupy the center (see "center") with pawns. Instead, the hypermodern strategy tries to control the center with pieces from the flanks.
- An "illegal move" is a move that is not allowed under the rules of chess. The rules of chess are in place to guide the players to know what moves are allowed, and what moves are not allowed. So, an illegal move is a move that is not legal.
- In chess the word "imbalance" may refer to a trade, a position, or a type of material (see "material"):
- An imbalanced trade refers to a trade that was not equal for both players. One of the players received the "better end" of the trade, and therefore the trade was imbalanced.
- An imbalanced position, or a position with imbalances, can refer to a position with often unclear (see "unclear") but not the same type of chances for either player.
- A material imbalance refers to a situation where the material count for each player equals the same amount of total points, but the type of material is different. For example, three minor pieces (totaling nine points) is the same total value as the queen (also worth nine points), however the type of material (three minors vs a queen) is obviously completely different, and should be used differently.
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An increment is time a player receives when they complete a move. For example, both players might start with 90 minutes, but when they move, they might get another 30 seconds. The 30 seconds added is the increment.
- A group of openings that are usually reached by Black meeting the move 1.d4 with 1...Nf6. This includes all defenses to the main 1.d4 openings except for the Queen's Gambit.
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The player with the initiative is the one who is creating threats. It is usually good to have the initiative because your opponent may easily make mistakes while trying to defend against your threats.
- A rule which allows a player to claim that his/her opponent does not have a realistic chance to win on the board and is only trying to win on time. This is to prevent players from playing a totally drawn position to try to win on time. You can only make this claim if you have less than five minutes and if there is no delay on the clock (see "time delay"). The tournament director (see "tournament director") has to decide if the game should be a draw, if it should keep going as it is, or if you should switch to a clock with delay.
- When there is not enough material left on the board to create a checkmate, then it is an automatic draw. For example, if there are only two kings left, that is insufficient material, since there is no way to checkmate, so the game is an immediate draw. Also, if there is only a king against a king and bishop or king and knight, that is also insufficient material, since a lone bishop or knight cannot checkmate.
- Interference is a tactic in which a line is closed, usually by a sacrifice, and the defender is cut off.
- International Master (abbreviated IM) is the second-highest title in chess. To become an IM, you must reach an Elo rating of 2400 and make three international master norms (see "norm").
- To move a piece between an attacking piece and a piece that is attacked.
- A sort of "feeling" about what might be the best move or plan in a position. Intuition is something that a player develops from the experience of playing similar positions. Intuition makes it possible to "guess" what might be the best move without calculating (see "calculate/calculation") everything.
- A chess tournament that players are only allowed to compete in if they have been invited to play.
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An opening (see "opening") with a very uncommon move in the first few moves. Openings that begin with pawns on the wing are often irregular.
- A pawn which does not have any other pawns of the same color on the files on either side of it. For example, if white has a pawn on d4 and no pawn on the c- or e- files, then he/she has an isolated pawn. This can be a disadvantage, since it cannot be guarded by pawns, so pieces might get stuck guarding it.
- French for "I adjust" (see "adjust"). If a piece is sitting a little bit out from the center of a square on the chessboard, you may want to fix it. But according to the touch move rule you would have to move any piece you touch. So you need to say "I adjust" before fixing the piece. Many players say "J'adoube", since this is understood by chess players everywhere.
- To talk about a game which you are watching, in such a way that the players can hear. This is a very bad thing to do if it is a serious game, and probably not very polite if it is a casual game. Sometimes kibitz is used to describe people who are just watching a game and not saying anything.
- An attack (see "attack") on the king which involves the king being chased out of its home and going on a long journey, trying to escape from enemy pieces. Sometimes a king can be chased all the way into the opponent's half of the board in a king hunt.
- The side of the board where the king starts out. For White, this is the right-hand side of the board; for Black, it is the left-hand side. The kingside includes the e-, f-, g-, and h-files.
- A knight on the side of the board (one of the wings). Usually it is better to have your knights in the center (see "center") of the board, where they have more mobility (see "mobility") and can reach more important squares. So a knight on the rim is often in a bad position. There is a famous saying that rhymes "a knight on the rim is dim", meaning that the knight on the side of the board is not very good.
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The long diagonal stretches from one corner of the board to the opposite corner. There are two longest diagonals on the board. One starts on the square a1 and goes to h8; the other starts on h1 and goes to a8.
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The Lucena Position is well-known in endgame theory. One side has a king, rook, and pawn; the other has a king and rook. The side with the pawn can win using a method called “building a bridge” or the "Lucena Method” to escape the defender’s attempt to give perpetual check.
- Luft means “air” in German. In chess, this means making an escape square for your king by pushing one of the pawns in front of the castled position. This purpose of "making luft" is to avoid being checkmated (see "checkmate") on the back rank (see "back rank").
- The most commonly played moves in an opening (see "opening"). An opening variation that has been played a lot and is very popular. Example: "The game followed a main line. So many players had already played the first fifteen moves before."
- A rook or queen. These are the most powerful pieces, able to checkmate on their own needing only the help of their king. Compare to "minor piece": a knight or bishop.
- A greater number of pawns on one side of the board, whether the kingside, queenside, or center. A majority can be used to make a passed pawn (see "passed pawn").
- A series of moves by one or several pieces with the goal of improving their position(s) on the board. Usually these are quiet moves without tactical threats. Example: "Billy used a maneuver to bring his knight to the strong outpost square."
- A player who is considered to have reached a certain level of achievement in chess. You can become a "national master" by achieving an ELO rating over 2200; internationally there are the FIDE Master, International Master, and Grandmaster titles, which require higher achievements.
- Serie de partidas jugadas entre dos oponentes. A menudo se celebran partidas para determinar el campeón de algo, como una ciudad, una escuela o el mundo.
- Short for "checkmate". The end of the game, where a king is in check and has no way to get out of check. See "checkmate".
- The pieces and pawns (not counting the king) and their point value. To "lose material", for example, is to lose pieces or pawns, or trade pieces or pawns for something of a lower value. Example: "John traded his knight for a pawn. Because a knight is worth 3 points and a pawn is worth 1 point, John lost material in that trade".
- A superiority [or advantage (see "advantage")] in the total value of one's pieces and pawns. If you have more valuable pieces (for example, a queen against a knight and bishop) then you have a material advantage. Example: "Alice won a rook for a bishop. Since a rook is worth five points and a bishop is worth three points, Alice gained a material advantage.
- An attack (see "attack") on the king, with the goal of giving checkmate.
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A situation where the king's escape squares are taken away, and checkmate (see "checkmate") is forced. Quiet, non-checking moves are often used to take away the king's escape squares.
- La fase del juego después de la apertura (ver "apertura") pero antes del final (ver "final de juego"). Usualmente, el medio juego comienza cuando los jugadores han sacado sus piezas y ya no siguen una línea de apertura que conocen. Por lo general, se considera que el medio juego termina cuando hay muy pocas piezas en el tablero o cuando se han intercambiado las damas y algunas de las otras piezas.
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A very short game. Most people say that a miniature has to be twenty-five moves or less.
- The exchange of bishop for knight. Most players consider the bishop a little better than the knight, but it depends on the position.
- A minor piece is a bishop or knight.
- A strategic plan in which a player advances a smaller number of pawns against a greater number of pawns on one wing (either the kingside or queenside). Usually the goal is to create weak squares or pawns in the opponent's position, and to open lines. A Minority Attack can be successful because, by definition, if you have two pawns versus three pawns then you also have an open file (see "file") to go along with your pawns.
- The ability of a piece or pieces to move around freely. For example, a knight in the center (see "center") typically has greater mobility (more available squares to which to move) than a knight on the side or edge of the board. Additionally, a player's entire position may have more mobility, if he/she has more space (see "space").
- A single action on the chessboard. In chess, both players always take turns making moves. In chess notation, a move (move 1, 2, 3, etc) is considered complete when each side (white and black) has moved. Example: "The game between Amanda and Robert lasted for thirty moves; each player made thirty moves."
- Attacking (see "attack") two or more things at once. Usually this is caused by a fork or a discovered attack (see both "fork" and "discovered attack"). The multiple attack is one of the strongest methods of attack in chess, because the opponent will have trouble defending against more than one attack all at once.
- This phrase was made popular by Aron Nimzowitsch. This is a move by a rook to a file which is closed (see both "open file" and "closed file"). The player might be expecting the file to become open later, or trying to stop the opponent from opening the file.
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A level of performance in a tournament. Norms are required to earn certain titles. For example, to become a grandmaster, a player must make earn grandmaster norms in which he or she performs like a strong grandmaster in a very strong tournament.
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A system for writing down chess games. Algebraic notation is most common. It uses letters and numbers to describe the squares. There is also descriptive notation.
- A tournament which has no restrictions by age, rating, or gender. Anyone can compete.
- A file that has no pawns on it. An open file is a great place for rooks and queens, who may use the open file to invade the opponent's position.
- A game that begins with the moves 1.e4 e5. It may also be called a Double King's Pawn Opening.
- Es el comienzo de una partida, desde el primer movimiento hasta que se desarrollan todas las piezas y los jugadores empiezan a crear planes de medio juego.
- Una forma de empezar la partida que ya se ha jugado antes y que es muy conocida. La mayoría de los primeros movimientos razonables caen en una apertura. Ejemplo: "Al responder a 1.e4 con 1...c5, jugué la apertura de Defensa Siciliana".
- Open positions have few pawns in the center of the board. They tend to be tactical and favor long-range pieces like bishops.
- The openings that a player tends to play with white and black. For example, Bobby Fischer's opening repertoire consisted mostly of playing 1.e4 as white, meeting 1.e4 with the Sicilian Defense as black, and meeting 1.d4 with the King's Indian Defense.
- In chess the "opponent" is the person you are playing against. For example, if you are white then the person sitting across the board playing the black pieces is your "opponent".
- When one player has a single bishop on the light squares and the other player has a single bishop on dark squares, we say the players have opposite-color bishops. Opposite-color bishops are often drawish in endgames since the players may blockade on the color their bishop control.
- A situation where the kings face each other with one square in between them, in a king-and-pawn ending. The side who is not to move has the opposition - because the opposing king has to step aside.
- This happens in a king-and-pawn ending, when after the opposition forces one side's king to move out of the way the other side's king then outflanks the opponent. This is the basic principle of winning the ending "king and pawn versus king", where the repeated outflanking allows the side with the pawn to gain control of the path to the queening square.
- An important square which cannot be controlled by the opponent and where one player hopes to establish a piece. Typically this is a central square, perhaps in the opponent's half of the board, where one player tries to place a knight, although outposts can also be used by other pieces.
- A passed pawn on the wing (rather than in the center) or, in general, distant from where the main battle is taking place. The advantage of an outside passed pawn is that it tends to distract the opponent's pieces from the main battle, since they must stop the pawn from queening.
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A strategy, devised by Aron Nimzowitsch, where a player protects strong points more times than is necessary. The idea is that by protecting the strong point, the pieces become more powerful.
- An overworked piece defends against multiple threats. Often an overworked piece can be exploited by executing one of the threats. If the overworked piece responds, it will leave the other threat undefended.
- A pawn which has no opposing pawns either on the file in front of it, or on the files next to it. A pawn which can advance to the queening square without having to worry about being captured or blocked by the opponent's pawns. The ultimate goal of a passed pawn is to reach the other side of the board (8th rank for white or 1st rank for black) and "promote" (see "promotion") to a better piece.
- Short for passed pawn. See "passed pawn".
- Passive is the opposite of active. A passive piece or position has little mobility or chance to attack.
- An unkind term for a bad chess player.
- Una disposición de piezas de ajedrez que se repite con frecuencia. Los jugadores fuertes conocen muchos patrones tácticos, de jaque mate y posicionales.
- Having several unblocked pawns in the center, usually side-by-side. Example: "White had pawns on e4 and d4, against Black's pawn on d6. So he had a pawn center." A pawn center usually gives good central control; however, sometimes a pawn center can be attacked if it is not well supported.
- Several pawns on a diagonal, guarding each other. For example, pawns on f3, e4, and d5 form a pawn chain. Pawn chains have the advantage that the pawns guard each other; their disadvantage is that since they are all on one color they leave holes between them which are not guarded.
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A pawn or a group of pawns that is separated from the other pawns of the same color by an open file. An isolated pawn is a pawn island with only one pawn.
- An attacking method where one player advances a group of pawns toward the opponent, usually with the goal of destroying the opponent's king's pawn cover.
- The overall position of the players' pawns; since pawns cannot be moved very fast, the pawn structure often stays the same for a long time, determining what kind of plans the player's use.
- A situation where one player can check the opponent's king forever, but cannot checkmate it. Perpetual check is a draw if the side giving the checks wants it. When perpetual check happens, the players usually either agree to a draw or the same position is repeated three times, resulting in a draw by threefold repetition. See "threefold repetition".
- One unit on a chessboard. Usually when chess players say "piece", they mean a knight, bishop, queen, or rook. The kings and pawns are not considered "pieces". Example: "The chess teacher said that in the opening we should get our pieces into the game. We understood that this meant to bring out our knights, bishops, rooks, and queen; not to advance our king or push all of our pawns."
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Cuando una pieza no puede moverse sin exponer una pieza más valiosa (normalmente el rey o la reina) al ataque.
- A piece which cannot move because it is pinned; it must stay where it is to shield a more valuable piece from attack.
- A long-range piece (a rook, queen, or bishop) which is aimed at one of the opponent's valuable pieces, with a less valuable defending piece blocking it. The pinning piece is the attacking piece in a pin.
- The long-term purpose of a player's moves. A typical plan might be to create a pawn storm against the opponent's king (see "pawn-storm"), to create a weak square in an opponent's position, or to control an open file. A plan is different from calculation (see "calculation") in that planning involves looking far ahead, but without seeing the exact moves.
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A poisoned pawn can be captured, but capturing it will cause problems. An example is a wing pawn that that may be captured by the queen at the cost of time and development.
- La disposición de las piezas y peones de cada bando en el tablero.
- "Positional" means the long-term strengths and weaknesses in a player's position. "Positional play" means play that is based around strengthening one's position, or weakening one's opponent's. A "positional player" focuses on building up long-term advantages. Positional is the opposite of "tactical", which is concerned with immediate and temporary things that are happening on the board (see "tactics").
- Literally meaning "after death"; in chess it means a discussion between the two opponents after a game. The players may explore different ways they could have played, or discuss why they made the moves that they did. Example: "In the post-mortem, we discovered that I could have won a rook by a knight fork. Neither of us saw it during the game!"
- The act of turning a pawn into another piece (queen, rook, bishop, or knight) after it reaches the other side of the board. See also "underpromotion".
- Prophylaxis (or a prophylactic move) tries to prevent the opponent's ideas.
- A protected piece or pawn is defended by another piece.
- The term "protected passed pawn" refers to a passed pawn (see "passed pawn") that is guarded (protected) by another pawn. If a passed pawn is protected by a piece (like a rook) it is not referred to as a protected passed pawn. Only a passed pawn that is protected by another pawn is referred to as a 'protected passed pawn'.
- The act of promoting (see "promotion") a pawn to a new queen after the pawn reaches the far side of the board.
- The side of the board where the queen starts out. For White, this is the left-hand side; for Black, it is the right-hand side. The queenside includes the a-, b-, c-, and d-files. "Castling queenside" means to castle on the side of the board where the queen started; to "castle long".
- A move that is not a check, capture, or direct threat.
- A horizontal (side-to-side) line on the chessboard. In notation, ranks are the numbered lines; for example, third rank, fourth rank, etc.
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Chess played with a fast time control (see "time control"). A game is usually considered "rapid" if a player has between 10 and 60 minutes for all the moves.
- A way that chess federations measure a player's skill by a number. The main rating system was created by Arpad Elo, and is known as the Elo rating system. If a player wins, his or her rating goes up; if he or she loses, it goes down. How much it goes up or down depends on the rating of the opponent.
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(See "capture"). A recapture is made when our opponent (see "opponent") has captured one of our pieces, and we capture his or her piece on that same square. Example: Sally's opponent captured her pawn on c6, but Sally recaptured with the pawn on b7. (I'm personally inclined to omit the example. I don't think it's essential.)
- To show that a move, plan, combination, or opening variation is wrong.
- A pin which is not absolute (see "absolute pin"). The pinned piece can legally move, but moving it would lose a more valuable piece. For example, a knight that is pinned to the queen is in a relative pin; according the the rules it can move, but moving it would lose the queen. (See "pin").
- To give up and admit defeat in a chess game. Resigning a game has exactly the same result as being checkmated - either way it is a loss. Players often resign to avoid wasting time playing a game that they know they are going to lose.
- Having to do with a past time in history when less was known about chess, and players played "by the light of nature", attacking (see "attack") and sacrificing (see "sacrifice") without worrying too much if their ideas were correct. Sometimes people talk about a modern chess player's style as being "romantic" - or they might call a certain game or move "romantic", if it involves sacrificing pieces and playing carelessly and creatively.
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A maneuver which activates a rook by moving it up and to the side, in front of its own pawns. Usually, a rook is lifted on the third or fourth rank. This is an alternative to activating a rook by moving it to an open file.
- A tournament where everybody plays against everybody. Usually this is a smaller (in the number of players) but more important tournament. In a round-robin the order that the players play each other is usually random, but since every player plays against every other player, it is considered to be a very fair method.
- A fork between the king and queen. See "fork".
- Short for "sacrifice". See "sacrifice".
- The act of giving up material (either making a trade that loses points or simply losing a piece or pawn for nothing) with the goal of getting something else in return. For example, a player may sacrifice the queen in order to open up a square for a knight where it can checkmate the opponent. A player may also make more strategic sacrifices, such as sacrificing a pawn to gain time to develop, or sacrificing a piece to destroy the opponent's king's pawn cover.
- Scholar's mate is also called the "four-move checkmate." In Scholar's Mate, White tries to play 1.e4, 2.Bc4, 3.Qh5 (or Qf3), and 4.Qxf7 mate.
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A piece of paper on which the players record the game. The scoresheet has a column for White’s moves and a column for Black’s moves. The players must write down both their moves and their opponent’s moves using chess notation. See "notation".
- A rare tactic in which a repeated discovered check allows one piece to go on a rampage, capturing multiple enemy pieces. See also "windmill". The most famous example of a see-saw happened in the game Torre-Lasker, Moscow 1925.
- A game beginning with the move 1.e4, followed by any move other than 1...e5. For example, a Sicilian defense (1.e4 c5), French defense (1.e4 e6), Caro-Kann defense (1.e4 c6) or others. See also "open game" and "closed game".
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A position which is somewhat open (having many open files and diagonals, and few blocked pawn) and somewhat closed (having blocked pawns and few open lines).
- In chess, a sharp position is one where the slightest mistake can change the result of the game.
- A strong, unexpected move which totally changes the course of the game.
- A "sideline" is the opposite of the "main line" (see "main line"). The term sideline or sidelines is often used to describe opening variations (see "opening" and "variation"). Example: "Billy played the sideline, which is not what I was expecting as I had spent most of my time learning the main line of this opening."
- To exchange pieces and make the position more "simple". Sometimes players simplify the position in order to win more easily with extra material (it is easier to win with extra material when there are less pieces on the board overall), to defend against the opponent's attack, or to use a long-term advantage.
- Short for "simultaneous exhibition". See "simultaneous exhibition".
- A type of event or show ("exhibition") where a player plays many opponents at one time. Usually his or her opponents are sitting in a circle, each with their own board, and the player giving the simultaneous exhibition walks from board to board, making moves on each. Usually the player giving the simultaneous exhibition is a master and the opponents are weaker players. See also "simul".
- Un movimiento que amenaza una pieza valiosa (como el rey o la reina), obligando a esa pieza a alejarse y permitiendo que la pieza atacante tome una pieza menos valiosa detrás de la valiosa. Imagínese un alfil que controla a un rey, lo obliga a alejarse y le permite tomar una dama que estaba detrás del rey. Un pincho es lo opuesto a un alfiler, ya que en el pincho la pieza más valiosa está delante. Ver "clavada".
- Games played for fun or otherwise not part of a tournament; casual games. Usually during tournaments there is a "skittles room", where players can go and play blitz games for fun (see "blitz chess"), analyze their tournament games (see "post-mortem"), or just talk without distracting the players in the tournament.
- A checkmate by a knight against a king which has no way out because all of its escape squares are blocked by its own pieces. The king's own pieces keep it from moving, while the enemy knight puts it in check. It is called "smothered" because the king is squeezed in by its own pieces and cannot breathe.
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A move or plan is sound if it cannot be defeated even if your opponent play the best moves. An attack that is sound is one that, even if the defender defends perfectly, will still give the attacker a good position.
- Space is the squares a player controls. A player with more space, called a space advantage, controls more squares.
- One final check given by a player who is losing, which only delays his/her loss for one move, while the opponent gets out of check.
- Stalemate occurs when a player has no legal moves but is not in check. A stalemate is a draw.
- Una estrategia es un plan. La estrategia generalmente significa pensar a largo plazo, en lugar del tipo de pensamiento "yo voy aquí, él va allá". Significa mirar hacia adelante pero sin ver los movimientos o posiciones exactas que alcanzarás.
- A study In chess is a made-up position. A composer invents a study to show a beautiful, deep, or instructive idea.
- The way a player tends to play, or the positions he/she likes best. A player's style might be aggressive, tactical, strategic, positional, or others. Example: "Mikhail Tal had a very aggressive, attacking style - he liked open positions where he had a chance to attack his opponent's king. Tigran Petrosian had a very defensive, positional style - he liked to try to create strategic weaknesses in his opponent's position."
- A time control where a player must finish the game before his/her clock runs out. For example, a sudden death time control might be "Game in 60", which means that each player must not use more than sixty minutes for the game, or he/she will lose on time.
- A trick that allows a player who has a bad position to turn the game around. A swindle can only happen if the player with the advantage makes a mistake. Example: "I was losing my third round game, but then I managed to swindle my opponent and win. He fell for my trick because he didn't see the best move."
- A system for deciding who plays against whom in chess tournaments that are too big for everybody to play everybody (a tournament where everyone plays everyone is a Round Robin. See "Round Robin"). The Swiss system is usually used in big, open tournaments. The system works by having players with the same number of points play against each other, with the top half (by ELO rating. See "ELO Rating") in each score group playing the bottom half.
- Symbols are used in notation (see "notation") to explain whether a move is good or bad, and whether a position is better for white, better for black, or equal. Some symbols include "!" after a move, which means that the move played was a good move. Sometimes you will even see "!!" which means that a move played was a great move, maybe even brilliant. After a move or position is reached, you will also see the "=" symbol, which means that the position is considered to be equal. You may also see a "+/-" symbol which means the position is better for white.
- There is symmetry in a position when both players' pieces are arranged in exactly the same way. If the board were folded in half at the middle, each piece would land on the same kind of opposing piece. For example, a white rook would land on a black rook, a white bishop would land on a black bishop, etc. At the beginning of a game, the position is symmetrical. There can also be symmetry just in pawn structure, when each side's pawns look exactly the same, but the pieces might be placed differently.
- Ataques de corta duración, como tenedores, pinchos, clavadas y otros tipos de ataques que se llevan a cabo en unos pocos movimientos. Lo contrario de la estrategia a largo plazo. Ejemplo: "Si quiere ser un gran jugador de ajedrez, debes ser bueno tanto en táctica como en planificación. ¿De qué sirve planear ganar un peón débil dentro de veinte movimientos, si deja que su oponente ataque a su rey y su torre en una táctica inmediata?"
- A tactician is a style of player who is very good at - or likes - tactics. A player who is good at finding forks, pins, and other small attacks, as opposed to long-term strategy. Example: "Alekhine was a good tactician - you had to be very careful or you might lose a piece against him to some kind of fork or you could be cleverly checkmated!"
- Technique is the ability to achieve the correct result. A player who is winning and plays with good technique will win. Bad technique might let the win slip away.
- A single move which improves your position. For example, you "gain a tempo" if you get the chance to develop a piece while your opponent uses the time to do nothing useful. You can also "gain a tempo" if you are able to make a useful or developing move while creating a threat that forces your opponent to defend with an otherwise useless move.
- Moves or positions which have been played or studied before. Theory is what the human race believes to be correct about chess - for example, opening theory includes the starting moves and variations which have been played before and what people generally think about them. There is also endgame theory, which includes positions which are known and considered to be won, lost, or drawn. Example: "According to endgame theory, king and queen should win against king and rook."
- A move which one side plans to make, which would be bad for the opponent. Example: "If it were my move, I could checkmate my opponent. So I had a threat of checkmate. It was his move, so he had to defend against my threat, or he would lose." Threats can be as big as a threat to checkmate or a threat to the opponent's queen, or as small as a threat to weaken his/her pawn structure.
- When the same position is reached three times in a game, the players may claim a draw by three-fold repetition.
- Tiebreaks are used to decide who wins a prize that cannot be divided (such as a trophy or a title) if multiple players get the same score. Tiebreaks might be based on the opponents' average ratings, the opponents' total scores, the number of games you won, or the number of games in which you had black.
- The amount of time that the players have to finish a game. A chess clock is used to keep track of the time (see "clock"). A common time control for scholastic tournaments is "game in thirty minutes". This means that each player has thirty minutes to play all of his/her moves; if more than thirty minutes is used, he/she will lose the game. Blitz chess uses a time control of five minutes per game (see "blitz chess"). Also, there is the classical time control, "forty moves in two hours, and sudden death in an hour."
- Some electronic clocks (see "clock") allow the players to use a time delay. This means that the clock waits - usually - five seconds before it starts counting off time. If a player uses less than five seconds for a move, no time is subtracted from his/her clock. This means that if a position is very easy, such as king and queen versus king, a player will not lose on time by simply not being able to play the moves fast enough.
- Time pressure, or time trouble, happens when a player has very little time to play his or her moves. This means that the player cannot think for a long time and it often leads to mistakes. It usually happens if a player used too much time (see "clock") earlier in the game, and not much time is left in the time control. See "time control".
- A rule, which is used in all serious chess, that if a player touches a piece, he/she has to move that piece. If a player touches one of the opponent's pieces, that player has to capture (see "capture") the piece if it is possible.
- Una competición de ajedrez en la que muchos jugadores compiten entre sí. Un torneo tiene al menos tres jugadores; si sólo tiene dos, entonces se llama "match" (ver "match").
- A tournament director is the person who helps chess players with the rules and restrictions that are required during a chess tournament. Every chess tournament --whether online or "over the board"-- has guidelines and rules that chess players need to learn, know and follow. The tournament director (see also "arbiter") knows all of these rules, and therefore helps with this process. In a tournament, for example, all players must move a piece or capture an opponent's piece if they touch it. A tournament director or an arbiter will help to enforce these rules.
- A transposition in chess occurs when, through a series of moves, a position is reached that is more commonly seen through a different series of moves. However, it is nonetheless the same exact position that is on the chess board, even though the moves were different. Example: "Tom noticed that the position had transposed into a the same position that he more commonly sees reached by a different move order."
- A trap is a plan for your opponent to miss something important and therefore blunder (see "blunder"). Usually, the term trap is used when either you or your opponent are trying for a tactical (see "tactic") trick of some kind. This is trick is not usually forced (see "forced") when we use the term trap.
- Triangulation is a very advanced way of "out-maneuvering" the enemy king with your own king in order to gain the opposition (see "opposition"). Usually this involves the creation of an imaginary triangle, if one were to draw lines between the three squares used in this maneuver (see "maneuver")
- A position where it is too complicated to tell who has the advantage (see "advantage"). Example: "I couldn't tell if White stood better, if Black stood better, or if the position was equal! All I knew was that it was very complicated. So I wrote that it was an unclear position."
- To remove an important defensive piece, with the goal of attacking what it was guarding. Usually undermining has to do with pawn chains (see "pawn chains"); undermining a pawn chain means to attack the base pawn (see "base pawn"), trying to knock it out so you can destroy the whole chain.
- Promoting (see "promotion") a pawn to a piece less than a queen (in other words, promoting a pawn to a knight, rook, or bishop). Since the queen is the strongest piece, players almost always choose to promote their pawns to queens. But sometimes underpromotion occurs when there are special reasons that a player needs a weaker piece rather than a queen.
- Unusual play; moves or style that is different than the way most people play, or different from the ways of playing which are generally considered to be correct.
- To break or escape from a pin (see "pin"). A player may unpin by: 1) moving the valuable piece away, thus allowing the pinned piece to move freely; 2) putting a less valuable piece in between the valuable piece and the pinned piece; 3) blocking the pin by putting a less valuable piece in front of the pinned piece; or 4) chasing away the pinning piece.
- The United States Chess Federation is the organization that officially takes care of chess in the United States. People used to call it the USCF (and many people still do), but their official name now is US Chess Federation.
- To vacate is to leave a place; in chess, vacating means to clear one of your own pieces out of the way so another one of your pieces can use that square or file (see "file"). There can be vacating sacrifices, where you intentionally lose one of your own pieces to make way for a different one.
- A variation is one way a game could go, or could have gone; it is a series of moves by White and Black that are forced or logical. A variation may be a series of moves that a player thinks about, but if he/she decides not to play the first move of the variation, it will not happen in the game.
- A variation is also one possible way of playing within a larger opening. For example, the "Averbakh variation of the King's Indian Defense", is a reference to a possible variation of a bigger Opening [the King's Indian Defense is an Opening (see "Opening")].
- To "visualize" is to try and see a position or a series of moves "in your head" without actually moving the pieces on the chess board.
- A move that doesn't change the position. A waiting move is often played to pass the move to the opponent.
- A pawn that cannot be easily guarded, especially a pawn that cannot be guarded by another pawn, such as an isolated pawn (see "isolated pawn"), doubled pawn see "doubled pawn", or backward pawn (see "backward pawn").
- A square which is strategically (see "strategy") important (it is usually in an important area of the board, such as in the center or in the opponent's side of the board) and cannot be easily guarded. A weak square usually cannot be easily guarded by one side's pawns, and can often become an outpost (see "outpost") for the other side. Also known as a "hole".
- A square, group of squares, or piece that is difficult to defend, such as a doubled pawn, isolated pawn, backward pawn, or hole.
- A rare tactic in which a repeated discovered check allows one piece to go on a rampage, capturing multiple enemy pieces. (See also "see-saw"). The most famous example of a windmill happened in the game Torre-Lasker, Moscow 1925.
- The sides of the board, as opposed to the center. Generally, these are the a-, b-, g-, and h-files.
- A position where a player should win the game, if both players play the best moves. For example, if you are up a queen you might have a winning position. A winning position is not the same as a win; frequently you hear players say such things as "I had a winning position but made a terrible mistake and lost".
- An "x-ray" is a machine which sees through things. An x-ray in chess is when one of your long-range pieces (a rook, bishop, or queen) acts "through" your opponents piece to attack (see "attack") or defend (see "defend") beyond it.
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A German word meaning “move-need.” Zugzwang occurs when every legal move worsens the position, but not moving (if that were legal) would keep a good position.
- A German word meaning "in-between check". This is a check that is inserted -- in between -- a forcing sequence of moves, which changes the result of the sequence. See also "zwischenzug".
- A German word meaning "in-between move". An - often unexpected - move inserted in a forcing sequence of moves, which changes the result of the sequence. See also "zwischenschach".