Chess Terms Glossary & Definitions

4D chess

Aborter

Absolute pin

Absolute seventh

Active piece

Adjourn

adjournment

adjudication

Adjust

Admin

Advanced chess

advantage

AI chess

Alekhine's Defense

Alekhine's Gun

algebraic notation

Allumwandlung

AlphaZero

Amazon

analysis

Analysis room

Anchor elo

Andernach

Annotation

Annotation symbols

Anti-Sicilian

Arabian mate

arbiter

Aristocrat

Armageddon

Armageddon game

Artificial castling

Atomic chess

Attack

Attacker

Attacking monster

AUW

Babson

Babson task

back rank

back rank mate

backward pawn

Bad bishop

Ban

Bare king

Battery

Battery on the file

Battery play

Bean counter

Berserk enjoyer

Best move

Bind

bishop

Bishop of the wrong color

bishop pair

Bishop's Opening

Black

Blind pigs

Blindfold

Blindfold chess

Blindfold simul

Blitz

Blitz addict

Blitz goblin

Blitz playoff

Blitzkrieg

blockade

blunder

board

Boden's Mate

Bonehead move

Bongcloud enjoyer

Book

Book draw

Book Move

Book slave

Book win

Boomer chess

Boomer move

Boosting

Botez Gambit

Botvinnik

break

Brilliancy

Brilliancy prize

Bronstein

Buchholz

bughouse

Building a bridge

Bullet

Bullet Checkmate

bullet chess

Bullet junkie

Bullet merchant

Bulletproof

Bunny

By-product

Bye

Caffeine blitzer

Caïssa

Camel

Candidate

candidate master

Candidate Move

Candidates Tournament

Capablanca chess

Carlsen

Castled king

castling

castling rights

Category

Caveman attack

Centaur

centipawn

central break

centralization

centre

Challenger

Chameleon echo

Cheap shot

Cheap trick

Cheapo

Cheater

Cheating detection

check

checkmating pattern

Chess

chess clock

Chess composer

Chess cop

Chess engine

chess960

Chessfluencer

Chesslet

Chop wood

Circe

classical

Classical champion

Classical player

clearance

Clock

Clock ninja

Closed position

Coffeehouse

Coffeehouse chess

color complex

Colors reversed

Combination

Compensation

Composition

Computer chess

Computer move

Condition

Connected pawns

Connected rooks

consultation game

Continuation

Control

Control of the center

Cook

Corr

Correspondence

correspondence chess

Countergambit

Counterplay

CP

Cramped

Cramped position

Crazyhouse

Critical

Critical line

critical position

Critical square

Cycle

Daily chess

Dead draw

dead position

Decline

decoy

Decoy sacrifice

Deep Blue

defense

Defensive Move

Defensive wizard

deflection

delay

descriptive notation

Desperado

development

diagonal

Dim knight

Dirty flag

Disconnecter

discovered attack

Discovered check

Distant opposition

Donkey

Donut

double attack

Double bughouse

Double check

Double fianchetto

doubled pawns

Doubled rooks

Dovetail mate

Dragon Variation

draw

Draw by agreement

Draw death

draw odds

draw offer

Drawing line

Drawing weapon

Drawish

Dual

Dubious

Duck chess

Duffer

Dusting

Eat

Echo

ECO

Economy

edge

Einstein Chess

Elo

Elo enjoyer

Elo farmer

Elo rating

Empress

en passant

En prise

endgame

Endgame grinder

Endgame merchant

Endgame specialist

endgame study

Endgame tablebase

Engine

Engine eval

Engine junkie

Engine monkey

Engine user

English Opening

Equihopper

Escape square

Eval

Eval bar surfer

Eval hostage

Eval worshipper

Evergreen game

Excelsior

exchange

Exchange sac

exchange sacrifice

Exchange Variation

Exhibition

Extended fianchetto

fair play

Fairy chess

Fairy pieces

Family fork

Farming

Fatty

FEN

fianchetto

FIDE

FIDE champion

FIDE Master

Fifty-move

fifty-move rule

file

Fingerfehler

Fischer

Fischer random

Fish

Five-minute chess

flag

Flag champ

Flag demon

Flag enjoyer

Flag enjoyer supreme

Flag enthusiast

Flag fest

Flag fiesta

Flag grind

Flag merchant

Flag merchant deluxe

Flag monkey

Flag rat

Flag-fall

Flagged

Flagging

Flaglord

Flank

Flank opening

Floor

FM

Fool's Mate

forcing move

Forfeit

fork

fortress

Freestyle chess

French Defense

friendly game

Full point

gambit

Gambit accepted

Gambit declined

Game of the century

Game score

GG

Giant killer

Giuoco Piano

GM

GM hunter

GM norm

GOAT

Gobble

Good bishop

Gothic chess

Grand chess

grandmaster

Grandmaster Draw

Grasshopper

Greek Gift

Greek gift sacrifice

Grimshaw

Grind

Grinder

Grob enjoyer

Grob goblin

Grotesque

Grünfeld Defense

Half point

Half-Open File

Hang

hanging

Hanging pawns

Harry

Harry Attack

Heavyweight

Helpmate

Hole

Home

Home cooking

Home prep

Hope chess

Horde chess

Houdini

Howler

Hsiung

Human move

hyperbullet

Hyperbullet addict

Hypermodern

ICS

ideal mate

illegal move

Illegal position

IM

IM norm

Immortal game

Improvement

In-between move

inaccuracy

increment

Indian Defense

Infinite chess

Informant

initiative

Interesting

interference

Interference sacrifice

intermezzo

international master

Interzonal

Intuitive sacrifice

Invitational

Irregular Opening

isolated pawn

J'adoube

Juicer

k1Ng

Kasparov

Key

Key square

Keyboard warrior

Kibitz

Kibitzer

king

King hunt

King in the center

king of the hill

king safety

king walk

King's Gambit

King's Indian Defense

Kingside storm

Knight fork

Knight on the rim is dim

Knockout

Komodo

Kotov syndrome

Kramnik

Lacny

Ladder climber

Lag excuse

Lag victim

Lag warrior

Larsen

Leela

Legal's mate

Legend

Lightweight

Line

Line clearance

Line closing

Line opening

Locust

London enjoyer

Lone king

Long diagonal

Longmover

Loose

Loose piece

Loose Pieces

Loose Pieces Drop Off

Loss on time

LPDO

Lucena Position

luft

Madrasi

Magnus effect

Main line

Major piece

Marshall Attack

match

mate

mate in n

material

Material imbalance

Materialist

Mating net

Max Lange Attack

Maximummer

Meredith

Middlegame

Miniature

Minor exchange

Minor piece

minority attack

Mirror

Mistake

mobility

model mate

Moderator

Modern chess

Moremover

Moron move

Mouse clicker

Mouse lift

Mouse Slip

Mouse slipper

move

Move drip

Move order

Move smurfing

Move spam

Multi-clubbing

Mute

Mutual zugzwang

My system

Nalimov

Nightrider

Nimzo-Indian Defense

Nimzo-Larsen Attack

Nimzowitsch

No draw offers

Norm

Notation

novelty

Novotny

Observer

Octo-Knight

Open

open file

Open Game

Open lines

Opening

Opening booker

Opening enjoyer

Opening enjoyer deluxe

Opening grinder

Opening nerd

Opening prep

opening preparation

opening repertoire

Opening theoretician

opening theory

Opening trap fiend

Opera mate

Opposite bishops

Opposite-Colored Bishops

opposition

OTB

OTB player

outpost

Outside passed pawn

Over the board

overextended

overload

overprotection

Overworked

Pairing

passed pawn

Passive piece

Patrol chess

Patzer

Patzer gives a check

Patzer sees a check

pawn

pawn break

Pawn Chain

Pawn duo

Pawn gobbler

Pawn Grubber

Pawn island

pawn lever

pawn majority

Pawn muncher

Pawn pusher

Pawn roller

pawn storm

pawn structure

PCA champion

Perpetual

perpetual check

Petroff Defense

PGN

Philidor position

Piece

piece activity

Piece sacrifice

Pigs on the 7th

Pigs on the seventh

Pirc Defense

Pitfall

plan

Playoff

ply

Poisoned Pawn

Positional enjoyer

Positional genius

Positional Play

Positional player

positional sacrifice

Post-key play

Post-mortem

Practical chances

pre-move

Pre-move god

Premove warrior

Prepared variation

Princess

principle

Problem

Problemist

Prodigy

promotion

Pronkin

Proof Game

prophylaxis

Protected passed pawn

Provisional rating

Pseudo-sacrifice

pure mate

Pusher

Puzzle

Puzzle grinder

Puzzle rusher

Puzzle warrior

Quality

Quantum chess

queen

Queen sac

Queen's Gambit

Queenless middlegame

Queenside

Quiet move

Rabbit

Rage resign

Rapid

Rated game

Rating

Rating favorite

Rating grinder

Rating juice

Rating manipulator

Rating refugee

Rating vampire

Rating vampire deluxe

Real sacrifice

Reciprocal zugzwang

Record

reflexmate

Reinfeld values

Relative pin

Reserve tempo

Resign

resignation

Reti

Reti Opening

Retrograde analysis

Roman

Romantic

Romantic era

rook

rook endgame

rook lift

Rook on the seventh

Rook swing

Rose

Round robin

round-robin

Royal fork

Ruy Lopez

Ruy Lopez Exchange

S-chess

Sac

Sack

sacrifice

Same color bishops

Sämisch Variation

Sandbagger

Scholar's Mate

Score

Scotch Game

sealed move

Second

Second best

Seirawan chess

Selfmate

Semi-open file

Seriesmover

Set play

Sham sacrifice

Shark

Siamese chess

Sicilian Defense

Simple move

Simplification

Simul

Simultaneous exhibition

skewer

skittles

Skittles room

Slav Defense

smothered mate

Smurf

Sofia Rules

Solid

Solver

Sonneborn-Berger

Sound

Soviet school

space

space advantage

Speculative sacrifice

Squeeze

stalemate

Stalemate trick

Stockfish

Stonewall

Strategy

Streamer move

Streamer sniper

Study

Study mode

Subvariation

Super GM

Swallow

Swallow's tail mate

Swashbuckling

swindle

Swindling chances

Swiss

Swiss system

Syzygy

Tablebase

tactic

Tactic enjoyer

Tactic spammer

Tactical

Tactician

tactics

Tactics beast

Takeback

Tal

Tall Pawn

Tandem simul

Tarrasch Defense

Tarrasch rule

Task

TD

team chess

Technical win

tempo

Tempo loss

Tension

The exchange

Theme

Theoretical draw

theory

Theory dump

Theory slave

threat

Three-Check

Threefold

threefold repetition

Threemover

Tiebreak

Tiebreak system

Tilt marathon

Tilt queue

Tilting

time control

Time hustler

Time pressure

Time pressure addict

Time scam

Time troll

time trouble

Timeout cheese

Title

Titled bait

TN

Top board

Touch move

touch-move rule

tournament

transposition

Trap

Triangulation

Trick line enjoyer

Trickster line

Try

Tunnel vision

Turton

Two bishops

Twomover

Underdog

undermining

underpromotion

Undisputed champion

Unrated

Unsound

Upset

USCF

Valve

Variant

Variant player

Variation

Vienna Game

Virtual play

Vishy

vote chess

Waiting move

Weak pawn

Weak square

weakness

WFM

WGM

Whale

Whisper

White

WIM

windmill

Wonderkid

Woodpusher

World Champion

World Championship

World Championship cycle

Wrong-colored bishop

Wurzburg-Plachutta

X-ray

X-ray attack

Yugoslav Attack

Zagoruiko

Zebra

Zeitnot

Zemliakov

Zero tolerance

Zero-depth move

Zonal

zugzwang

zwischenzug