Chess positions
What is a "back rank checkmate"?
A back rank checkmate occurs when a king is checkmated on its own back rank (first rank for white, eighth rank for black), usually by a rook or queen, while its escape is blocked by its own pawns.
How do you represent a capture in algebraic notation?
A capture is represented by an "x" between the piece's initial square and the destination square. For example, "Bxf7" means a bishop captures a piece on the f7 square.
What is a "fork" in chess?
A fork is a tactic where a single piece attacks two or more enemy pieces at the same time, usually resulting in material gain.
What is a "passed pawn"?
A passed pawn is a pawn with no opposing pawns on its file or adjacent files that can prevent it from promoting to a queen or another piece.
How is a pawn promotion represented in algebraic notation?
A pawn promotion is represented by the destination square followed by an equal sign and the promoted piece's letter. For example, "e8=Q" means a pawn reaches the e8 square and promotes to a queen.
What is a "pin" in chess?
A pin is a tactical situation where a piece is attacked and cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it to capture.
What is a "skewer" in chess?
A skewer is a tactic where a valuable piece is attacked and forced to move, exposing a less valuable piece behind it to capture.
What is a "smothered mate" in chess?
A smothered mate is a checkmate where the king is surrounded by its own pieces and has no legal moves, while the check is delivered by a knight.
What is algebraic notation in chess?
Algebraic notation is a method used to describe the moves in a chess game, using a combination of letters and numbers to represent the pieces and squares on the board.
What does the term "open file" mean in chess?
An open file is a vertical column on the chessboard with no pawns on it, which can be occupied and controlled by rooks or queens.
What is "en passant" in chess?
En passant is a special pawn capture that occurs when a pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position and lands beside an opponent's pawn, which can then capture it as if it had only moved one square forward.
What letters are used to represent the different chess pieces in algebraic notation?
K = King, Q = Queen, R = Rook, B = Bishop, N = Knight, and no letter is used for pawns.
What is "opposition" in chess?
Opposition is a situation in which two kings face each other with one square between them. The player who does not have to move their king is said to have the opposition, which can be advantageous in endgames.
What does the "#" symbol mean in algebraic notation?
The "#" symbol indicates a checkmate, meaning the opponent's king is in check and cannot escape or block the attack, resulting in a win for the attacking player.
What does the "+" symbol mean in algebraic notation?
The "+" symbol indicates a check, meaning the opponent's king is under attack and must move to a safe square or block the attack.
What is the "center" of the chessboard?
The center consists of the four central squares: d4, d5, e4, and e5. Controlling the center is a key principle in chess, as it allows pieces to exert influence over the entire board.
What does the notation "e2-e4" represent?
This notation represents a pawn move from the e2 square to the e4 square.
What does the notation "0-0" mean?
This notation represents kingside castling, where the king moves two squares towards the kingside rook, and the rook moves to the square next to the king.
What does the notation "0-0-0" mean?
This notation represents queenside castling, where the king moves two squares towards the queenside rook, and the rook moves to the square next to the king.
What is "zugzwang" in chess?
Zugzwang is a situation where any move a player makes will worsen their position, and they would prefer not to move at all.
