Basic Chess [Getting Started | Moving Pieces | Glossary] [Suggested Reading]

Bishop:  Piece capable of diagonal movement and restricted to same color squares.

Castling:  Special defensive move involving the King and Rook.  Conditions for castling are:

• Path between the King and Rook being used are cleared of pieces
• King may not move over an attacked square or into check
• Neither the King or Rook being used has moved previously
• King is not in check

Check:  Term referring to the King being in danger of capture by an opponent's piece.  Players may not move the King into check.

Checkmate:  Ending where a King is attacked by an opposing piece and cannot escape.

Draw:  Ending of the game where no winner or loser occurs.

En Passant:  French term meaning "in passing." Special capture by pawns when a pawn moves two squares forward and stops adjacently to an opponent's pawn on the 5th rank.  Immediately after that move, the opponent may choose to pass the pawn and capture it like normal.

File:  Row of vertical squares on a chess board.  A chess board has 8 rows, numbered 1-8, starting with the closest to the opponent.

King:  Most important piece in the game, but limited movement to one square in any direction.  Game ends when opponent's King is in checkmate.

Knight:  Piece in the game that moves in an L-shape of:  two squares up and one over left or right, one square up and two over left or right, or any combinations.

Pawn:  Smallest and least valued piece on the board.

Promotion:  Reward for a pawn making it to the edge of the board on the opponent's side.  Players may choose to change the pawn into:  a knight, a bishop, a rook, or a queen.

Queen:  Most powerful piece in the game.  Possible movements are horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.

Rank:  Row of horizontal squares on a chess board.  A chess board has 8 ranks, lettered A-H, starting with the closest to the opponent.

Rook:  Piece in the game that moves horizontally or vertically.  Performs castling with King.

Stalemate:  Ending resulting from a king having no legal moves, but is not being attacked by another piece.

Basic Chess [Getting Started | Moving Pieces | Glossary] [Suggested Reading]
by Bobby Kuechenmeister
originally written as a term project for Dr. Dennis G. Jerz's English 309: Writing Electronic Texts course.
first posted December 20, 2001
last updated October 23, 2005