Chess Glossary

A time format where each player has a total of 3 to 5 minutes for all moves.

An extremely fast time format where each player has less than 3 minutes, typically 1 or 2 minutes, for all moves.

A special king-and-rook move that improves king safety and activates the rook, executed under specific conditions.

A direct attack on the king by an opposing piece. The player in check must immediately resolve it.

A position where the king is in check and no legal move can escape the threat, ending the game.

A time format with long time controls, typically 90 minutes or more per player, allowing deep calculation.

Two pawns of the same color on the same file, usually created when a pawn captures toward that file.

A numerical measure of a player's strength based on game results against rated opponents, developed by Arpad Elo.

A special pawn capture possible immediately after an opponent's pawn advances two squares from its starting position.

The final phase of the game, characterized by few remaining pieces and increased importance of king activity and pawn promotion.

Developing a bishop to the second square of the adjacent knight file (g2, b2, g7, or b7) after advancing the neighboring pawn.

The Federation Internationale des Echecs, the international governing body of chess founded in 1924.

A tactic in which a single piece simultaneously attacks two or more enemy pieces.

An opening in which a player sacrifices material, usually a pawn, to gain a positional or developmental advantage.

The highest title awarded by FIDE to chess players, requiring a rating of at least 2500 and specific norm performances.

The phase between the opening and endgame, characterized by complex tactical and strategic battles with most pieces still on the board.

The standard method of recording chess moves using letter-number coordinates (e.g., e4, Nf3, O-O).

The initial phase of the game focused on piece development, central control, and king safety.

A pawn with no opposing pawns blocking its path or on adjacent files to capture it, giving it a clear route to promotion.

A tactic where a piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it to capture.

The mandatory conversion of a pawn that reaches the eighth rank into a queen, rook, bishop, or knight.

A time format where each player has between 10 and 60 minutes for all moves.

A drawn position in which the player to move has no legal moves and is not in check.

A unit of time measured in moves. Gaining a tempo means achieving a goal in one fewer move than the opponent.

A position in which the obligation to move is a disadvantage because any available move worsens the player's position.