Algebraic notation (chess)Algebraic notation is the standard method of chess notation, used for recording and describing moves. It is based on a system of coordinates to uniquely identify each square on the board. It is now almost universally used by books, magazines, newspapers and software, and is the only form of notation recognized by FIDE, the international chess governing body. An early form of algebraic notation was invented by the Syrian player Philipp Stamma in the 18th century.
ChessChess is a board game for two players, played on a square board consisting of 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. The players, referred to as "White" and "Black", each control sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns, with each piece type having a different pattern of movement. An enemy piece may be captured (removed from the board) by moving one's own piece onto the square it occupies.
Rules of chessThe rules of chess (also known as the laws of chess) govern the play of the game of chess. Chess is a two-player abstract strategyboard game. Each player controls sixteen pieces of six types on a chessboard. Each type of piece moves in a distinct way. The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king; checkmate occurs when a king is threatened with capture and has no escape.
Chess openingInitial moves of a chess gameThe opening is the initial stage of a chess game. The other phases are the middlegame and the endgame. A large amount of established opening theory exists, with some theory dating back centuries. Many opening sequences, known as openings, have standard names, such as 1.e4 c5, which is named the "Sicilian Defense"; these can be broken down further into variations.
X-ray (chess)In chess, an X-ray or X-ray attack is a tactic where a piece indirectly controls a square from the other side of an intervening piece. Generally, a piece performing an X-ray either: effects a skewer,indirectly attacks an enemy piece through another piece or pieces, ordefends a friendly piece through an enemy piece.
Rook (chess)The rook (; ♖, ♜) is a piece in the game of chess. It may move any number of squares horizontally or vertically without jumping, and it may capture an enemy piece on its path; it may participate in castling. Each player starts the game with two rooks, one in each corner on their side of the board. Formerly, the rook (from Persian: , romanized: rokh/rukh, lit.'chariot') was alternatively called the tower, marquess, rector, and comes (count or earl).
CheckmateCheckmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with capture) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, shogi, and other related games, the king is never actually captured. The player loses as soon as their king is checkmated. In formal games, it is usually considered good etiquette to resign an inevitably lost game before being checkmated.Economical mateIn chess, an economical mate is a checkmate position such that all of the attacker's remaining knights, bishops, rooks and queens contribute to the mate. The attacker's king and pawns may also contribute, but their assistance is not required, nor does it disqualify the position from being an economical mate. Economical mates are of interest to chess problemcomposers for their aesthetic value.
Touch-move ruleChess rule requiring a player to move or capture a piece deliberately touched Touching a piece can incur consequences in competitive chess, but typically not in informal play. The touch-move rule in chess specifies that a player, having the move, who deliberately touches a piece on the board must move or capture that piece if it is legal to do so. If it is the player's piece that was touched, it must be moved if the piece has a legal move.
Checkmate patternChess patternsCheckmateIn chess literature, certain recognizable or studied arrangements of pieces that deliver checkmate, termed checkmate patterns, have been given specific names. The diagrams that follow show these checkmates with White checkmating Black. Anastasia's mateAn archetypal Anastasia's mateIn Anastasia's mate, a knight and rook team up to trap the opposing king between the side of the board on one side and a friendly piece on the other.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.