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Questions tagged [terminology]

Questions about the particular terminology used in chess

Given its long history, and the geographic diversity that accompanied many of the big developments in the game, chess enjoys a rich tapestry of interesting terminology coming from various languages. A few examples:

  • The term "checkmate" comes from the Persian phrase "Shāh Māt," meaning literally "the king is helpless."

  • The French term "en passant" means "in passing," and is used to refer to the capture of a pawn which has just advanced two squares by another pawn that sits beside it on an adjacent square.

  • The term "gambit" derives from the Italian "dare il gambetto," which translates roughly as "to stick out one's leg to trip someone."

  • The German words "Zugzwang" (meaning "compulsion to move") and "Zwischenzug" ("in-between move") are in common usage.

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Why are the corner pieces referred to as "rooks" in English?

Various sources like those quoted in Wikipedia say that it's a mistake, or old-fashioned, to refer to rooks as "castles". Why is this, though? Other languages generally refer to these pieces as "towers" and when the king exchanges places with…
Jez
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What does "White is down a rook for a pawn" mean?

I am not a native English speaker and I'm learning to play online chess. I often find a sentence with this pattern. White is down a rook for a pawn. What does it mean? Could you elaborate on this sentence and make it much more understandable for…
Display Name
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What does it mean to call a line "sharp"?

I am a chess newbie and I was watching a video on four knights opening and the person was discussing another variation and he said that one is dramatic and quite sharp. From what I saw, it seems "sharp" means immediate mating threats. Wiki has…
JSavant
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What term is used to describe the following situation?

A situation where the movement of the opponent's pieces gets more and more restricted as the attack develops. The opponent can't make moves easily without losing something.
mark coder
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German chess composition glossary

I'm trying to look through some puzzles at http://www.wenigsteiner.de/, but there are some abbreviations I'm not familiar with that I'm having a hard time finding through Google; I guess they are abbreviations for German words, but I don't know…
alphacapture
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What is a "club player"?

I often see this phrase being used in chess articles, apparently used to distinguish these players from professional chess players, grandmasters, etc. But what exactly are they? What Elo range? Only players associated with a club? Why not call them…
user1583209
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Pieces, pawns and chessmen

In English as far as I know, pawns were once not pieces. A player had eight pieces and eight pawns which, together, totaled 16 chessmen. When did this usage change? Why? And (if you happen to know) how is it in the other major chess languages, like…
thb
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What is the English maxim for "Rather losing a material / piece, than losing a tempo / an initiative"?

Chess, Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) and Go all highly value the tempo/initiative. The Chinese saying "宁失一子,不失一先" literally means It is better to lose material/piece, than a tempo/initiative. (宁=prefer; 失=lose; 一=one; 子=piece (e.g. pawn, rook, knight);…
Zhang Jian
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Is there a name for the a position where King is on the first/last row and an enemy pawn is directly in front?

I'm trying to figure out if there is any name for this particular position so that it might be easier for me to research it more - not so much the rook as much as having king behind the pawn. I play queenside castle a fair bit and find that if given…
Ryan
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Is there a term for an attack - similar to a pin or skewer - on pieces of equal value?

"Pin" and "skewer" are fairly common terms in chess: A pin is a situation where a piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece to attack. For example, the Ruy Lopez Opening features a black knight pinned (against the black king) by a…
GreenMatt
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What is the definition of an "outpost"?

The Wikipedia definition of an "outpost" is this: “A position on the chess board where a knight is defended by a pawn from its same side.” Does it have to be a knight?
coronavirus stinks
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What is "Chronological Order" in chess?

I have heard about "chronological order" in chess. But I don't know what it is exactly. Can someone tell me what this is?
Krupal Panchal
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Can these chess terms be used interchangeably?

I am confused by the usage of the following chess terms: 'positional advantage', 'initiative', 'attack', 'pressure', 'aggressive/active moves' and 'play/counterplay'. Do they mean the same thing? Can they be used interchangeably?
branko_club_player
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What's the difference between "White is winning" and "White is better"?

Many times in literature there are statements like "White/Black is winning" or "White/Black is better". How does one differentiate between the two? How could it be possible for White to be better and not be winning, or be winning and not better? Is…
jimjim
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Correct definitions of chess terms

We have been assigned a project of writing a simple chess evaluation engine. The engine doesn't play chess and doesn't calculate variations - it just performs a basic static evaluation of input position. When preparing a technical documentation of…
Pavel Goric
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