Chess Term Glossary

Glossary of Chess Terms

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M
N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

A

Accelerated Pairing Systems:: Swiss System Variant used to reduce the number of tournament leaders in as few rounds as is practical.
Adjournment:: An unfinished game may be adjourned and continued at a later time/date.
Adjudication:: In amateur events, games not finished within a specified time period, sometimes are adjudicated by a strong player who determines the outcome of the game. This practice has fallen out of fashion and has been replaced by "sudden death".
Advanced Pawn:: This term describes a Pawn which has passed the central line of the chessboard which is between the fourth and fifth ranks.
Algebraic notation:: Same as Chess notation or simply notation. It is a combination of letters and numbers (a to h and 1 to 8)which denotes the 64 squares of the board. Algebraic notation has become the standard for modern chess
Analysis:: The calculation and detailed study of a series of moves based on a particular position in a game.
Annotation:: Written comments about a position or a game, it can be narrative, Chess notation or both.
Arbiter:: Chess has Arbiters for the enforcement of the rules.
Attack:: An aggressive action during a game or to threaten to capture a piece or Pawn. Minority Attack: an attack of minor pieces against a majority of minor pieces of the opponent with the objective of creating a weakness in his position.

B

Back rank mate:: A checkmate made by a Queen or Rook along the 8th rank where the opponent's King is blocked in by its own Pawns.
Backward Pawn:: A Pawn that has trailed behind and is no longer supported by other Pawns.
Bad Bishop:: When a Bishop has little or no mobility because of being hemmed by Pawns positioned on squares of the same color as the Bishop's square, it is said to be a "bad Bishop".
Battery:: Doubling Rooks on a file or a Queen and a Bishop on a diagonal.
Bishop pair:: Two Bishops vs. a Bishop and a Knight or two Knights.
Blitz:: Rapid or lightning chess games. Usually with 5 minute time control.
Blunder:: A very bad move that loses material or initiative without any or little advantage.

C

Capture:: The movement of a minor or major piece from the departure cell to the arrival cell and to capture a enemy piece in the process. To capture, a player must make a legal move that lands a piece on a cell containing an enemy piece. The captured enemy piece is taken from the board and removed from the game. To capture a MP/mp means to deprive your opponent (:A or :B) of the use of that MP/mp. The MP/mp has been taken and leaves the board.
Castling:: A combined move of King and Rook permitted once for each side during a game. The King moves two squares to either side, and the Rook toward which it moves is placed on the square the King passed over. This is the only move in which the King moves more than one square at a time and in which more than one piece is moved.
Center:: The four squares in the geometrical center of the board. The opening moves are meant to gain control of the center. The "e" and "d" files are the center files.
Check:: Check refers to a King that is being attacked by an enemy piece. The King should move out of check, place another piece between the King and the attacking piece, or the attacking piece must be captured.
Check Mate:: An attack against the opponent's King which the King cannot escape. When a player Checkmates his enemy's King, he wins the game.
Clock:: Paired clocks used in all official tournaments and in club games. After a player moves, he depresses a lever that stops his clock and starts his opponent's. Each clock, therefore, registers only the elapsed time for one player. If a player exceeds the time limit set on his clock, a flag falls and he loses the game, even if he has a clear winning position.
Closed file:: A file blocked by both black and white Pawns.
Closed game:: A game which the position is obstructed by blocking Pawns. Such a position favors Knights over Bishops since Pawns often block diagonals.
Combination:: A series of moves which will force an immediate win or an overwhelming advantage in material or position. Most combinations sometimes start with a sacrifice of material.
Connected passed Pawns:: Two or more passed Pawns of the same color on adjacent files which can protect themselves.
Connected Pawns:: Pawns adjacent to one another.
Correspondence Chess:: Chess game played by Post or by email.
Counter Gambit:: A strategy in which a minor piece or Pawn is offered for sacrifice in response to an earlier Gambit by the opponent.
Counter play:: When the player who has been on the defensive starts his own aggressive action.

D

Descriptive Notation:: System of recording the moves of a Chess game based on the names of the pieces and places they occupy before the game begins. A move is given by the name of the piece or Pawn moving, followed by the square to which it moves. This notation is now almost completely replaced by algebraic notation.
Development:: The process of moving pieces from their starting positions to new posts, from which they control a greater number of squares and have greater mobility.
Diagonal:: A row of squares running obliquely across the board rather than up and down (a file) or side to side (a rank).
Discovered attack:: A player, by moving a piece, uncovers an attack on an opponent's piece.
Discovered check:: A discovered attack that involves checking your opponent's King by moving a piece so that the piece behind it can give check.
Distant opposition:: Kings that oppose or are separated by more than one square, rank or file one another and still have the relation of opposition (e.g. Kings on g1 and g5) are said to be in "distant opposition." Kings in distant opposition can often maneuver to a more simple position of direct opposition but such maneuvering often requires careful calculation.
Double attack:: An attack against two pieces or Pawns at the same time.
Double check:: A powerful type of discovered attack, which checks the King with two pieces. The King is forced to move and the enemy army is thus frozen for at least one tempo or move.
Double Pawns:: Two Pawns of the same color lined up on a file. This doubling come about only as the result of a capture.
Double Rooks:: Two Rooks of the same color positioned on the same file or rank.
Draw:: A tied game. A draw can result from a stalemate, the 50-move rule, the three-move repetition rule, if neither side has enough material to mate, by adjudication or by an agreement between the players.

E

ECO:: Encyclopedia of Chess Openings.
Elo rating:: The system by which players are rated. Devised by Professor Arpad Elo (1903 - 1993) of Milwaukee and adopted by FIDE in 1970. A beginner might have 900 rating, the average club player 1600, a state champion 2300, and the World Champion 2800.
En passant:: From the French, "in passing." Abbreviated e.p. One Pawn can capture another e.p. if the capturing pawn has reached the fifth rank and the captured Pawn is moved two squares forward on an adjacent file. The capture is made as though the opponent's Pawn had moved only one square forward.
Endgame:: Also called the ending. This is the final state of the game, characterized by the relatively few Chessmen on the board. The King is typically used more aggressively in the ending than in the opening or middle-game. One of the most common concerns in the endgame is promotion of Pawns.
Escape square:: A square to which a King in check can move, also called flight square.
Exchange:: The trading of a piece for an enemy piece, usually pieces of equal value.

F

Fianchetto:: An Italian term that means "on the flank" and applies only to Bishops. A Fianchetto involves placing a white Bishop on g2 or b2 or a black Bishop on g7 or b7. This maneuver places the Bishop to a position from which it controls the longest diagonal.
FIDE:: The acronym for Fedération Internationale des Échecs, the International Chess Federation which organizes the titles, awards and the international rating system.
FIDE Master:: Title awarded by FIDE and is ranked below International Master.
Figurine notation:: A system of recording the moves of a Chess game similar to Algebraic Notation except that small pictures of the pieces and Pawns are substituted for their names. This method has been popularized by published articles in newspapers and other periodicals.
File:: A vertical column of eight squares. This column of squares runs from the top of the board to the bottom. Designated in algebraic notation as the a-file, b-file, c-file, d-file, e-file, f-file, g-file and h-file.
Fish:: Derogatory term for a Chess player of little skill or experience.
Fixed Pawn:: A Pawn whose advance is blocked by an enemy piece.
Flag:: Part of an analog Chess clock. As the minute hand on the clock nears the 12, the flat is pushed upward. When the minute hand reaches 12 it no longer holds up the flag and it falls. The falling of the flag indicates that the player's time has expired, and if the requisite number of moves have not been played, the player is said to "lose the game on time" (i.e. the game is lost because time ran out, not because of the position on the board, although many games are lost on time when the position is poor and the losing player uses large amounts of time in an effort to try to find a way to save the game).
FM:: FIDE Master.
Fool's mate:: The shortest possible Chess game ending in checkmate:
1. g4 e5 (or e6) 2. f4 (or f3) Qh4 mate.
Forced mate:: A sequence of moves that lead to a checkmate no matter what the opponent responds.
Forced move:: A move for which there is only one reply (or if more than one reply, all but one are undesirable).
Fork:: An attack on two or more pieces simultaneously. Though any chess piece (except a Rook- Pawn) can execute a fork, the Knight makes a specialty of it.

G

Gambit:: An opening maneuver in which at least a pawn is offered in return for a strong position, a chance to attack or gaining tempo which permits development.
GM:: Abbreviation for International Grandmaster.
Good Bishop:: A Bishop free to operate without interference from its own Pawns and thus is very mobile. Such Bishop is very active because it is positioned on a square of the opposite color to the squares on which most of its Pawns are stationed.
Grandmaster:: A title awarded by FIDE to players who meet an established set of performance standards, including a high Elo rating. It is the highest title (other than World Champion) attainable in Chess. Once earned, a Grandmaster title cannot be taken away.

H

Half-open file:: A file that contains none of one player's Pawns but one or more of his opponent's.
Half-pin:: A pin in which the Chessman subject to the pin may move along the same line (file, rank or diagonal) which it shares with the attacker.
Hang, Hanging:: To be unprotected and exposed to capture. Slang term to describe a piece left en prise.
Hole:: A square that cannot be defended by a Pawn. Such a square makes an excellent home for a piece because the piece cannot be chased away by hostile Pawns. Also known as outpost.

I

ICCA:: International Computer Chess Association. The association which organizes the World Computer Chess Championship held every three years, and the World Microcomputer Chess Championship held every year.
IGM:: International Grandmaster
Illegal move:: A move which is in violation of the Laws of Chess. If an illegal move is discovered during the course of a game, the game will be returned to the point it was before the illegal move was made. The player who made the illegal move must move the piece he had previously moved illegally, if he can make a legal move with that piece. Otherwise, he is permitted to make any legal move.
Illegal position:: A position which is not the result of a series of legal moves. Thus, an illegal move necessarily leads to an illegal position. Other sources of illegal positions include: incorrect positioning of the Chess board and incorrect arrangement of the Chessmen either at the beginning of the game or at the time an adjourned game is resumed. If it is possible, the position must be corrected, otherwise a new game must be played
IM:: Abbreviation for International Master.
International Arbiter:: A title first awarded by FIDE in 1951. A candidate is nominated by his federation, and may be selected by the qualification committee if he: has a complete knowledge of the rules of Chess and FIDE regulations; is objective; has knowledge of at least two FIDE languages (English, French, German, Spanish, and Russian); has experience in controlling four important tournaments, two of which must be international.
International Grandmaster:: Title established in 1950 and awarded by FIDE. FIDE has detailed requirements for the title, which is awarded to only the best players in the world. A player with a FIDE Grandmaster title, often abbreviated GM, usually has an Elo rating of at least 2500.
International Master:: Title established and awarded by FIDE, often abbreviated IM. An IM is a stronger player than a FIDE Master, but not as strong as an International Grandmaster, and usually has an Elo rating of at least 2400.
International Rating list:: A list of the world's strongest players, compiled by FIDE using the Elo rating scale. It was first published in July 1971.
International Woman Grandmaster:: Title established in 1976 and awarded by FIDE to the world's strongest women players.
Interpose:: To place a piece or a Pawn between an enemy attacking piece and the attacked piece.
Interposition:: The movement of a piece in between a piece which is attacked and its attacker.
Isolated Pawn:: A Pawn whose adjacent files contain no Pawns of the same color. An isolated Pawns is weak because it, and the square in front of it, cannot be defended by other Pawns.

J

J' adoube:: A French word meaning "Adjust". This can be announced before a piece is touched so you can adjust is position on a square, yet not move it.

K

Kibitz:: To comment during a game, or during analysis following a game, within the hearing of the players. The term is often used in a pejorative sense, and is in many occasions applied to the comments of a spectator for whom the players have little respect.
King:: The most important of the Chessman, and consequently usually the largest. The King may move one square in any direction, and a game is over when the King is checkmated.
Kingside:: The half of the board made up of the e, f, g, and h files. Kingside pieces are the King, the Bishop next to it, the Knight next to the Bishop, and the Rook next to the Knight.
Knight:: A Chess piece which moves either two squares vertically and one square horizontally or two squares horizontally and one square vertically. In the first step of this move, the Knight may pass "through" squares already occupied. The Knight's move has not changed since Chess was devised.

L

Ladder:: A fluid method of ranking Chess players within a club or other group. The ladder is usually established by listing players according to their Chess rating. Any player may challenge someone one step above them on the ladder (sometimes two or more places). If the challenger wins, he moves up the ladder and his opponent moves down.
Laws of Chess:: The rules which govern the play of the game. During the 1850s, Staunton was one of many players who first sought to establish a unified set of Chess laws. FIDE established its own laws of Chess in 1929.
Long Algebraic Notation:: A form of algebraic notation. A move is designated by a letter indicating the piece moved, plus the square the piece moves from as well as the square the piece moves to (e.g. Bc1-g5). Pawn moves are designated by the starting square an the destination square (e.g. e2-e4).

M

Master:: In the U.S., a player with rating of 2200 or more. If a player's rating drops below 2200, the title is rescinded. There are about 90 Grandmasters in the entire world. It is also the highest ranking in Chess earned by competing in major tournaments.
Mate:: Short for Checkmate.
Material:: The total value in points of a player's pieces on the Chessboard. A material advantage is when a player has more pieces on the board than his opponent or has pieces of greater value.
Match:: A contest between two players only, as distinguished from a tournament. The term often refers to a contest of many games, but is sometimes used to describe a single game.
Mating Attack:: An attack which aims at Checkmate.
Mating net:: A position or series of moves that leads inexorably to one in which the King must be mated or, a position where one player has mating threats. This can be accomplished with the pieces working together to trap and checkmate the enemy King.
Mating Sacrifice:: A material sacrifice made to achieve Checkmate.
MCO:: Abbreviation for Modern Chess Openings.
Mechanical Move:: A move made with little thought because it seems to be obvious.; A tie-breaking system applicable to Swiss tournaments. The scores of the opponents of each of the tied players are summed, first leaving out the highest and lowest scores. In tournaments with a large number of rounds, two or more of the highest and lowest scores may be deleted. Also called the Harkness Score.
Middlegame:: The phase of the game following the development, and the one in which much of the action takes place. With many pieces on the board and possibilities of attack on all sides, the King normally stays well hidden in this phase.

N

National Master:: Title granted by national federations to strong players, usually those with a sustained ELO rating of 2200 or above.
NM:: Abbreviation for National Master.
Norm:: The number of points a player in an international tournament must score to gain one qualification for a FIDE title. The weaker the tournament, the more points a player must score for any given norm.
Notation:: System for recording moves and positions of a Chess game - Algebraic Notation, Long Algebraic Notation, Descriptive Notation, Figurine Notation, Forsythe Notation, Udemann Code, etc.

O

Obstructive Sacrifice:: A material sacrifice to hinder an opponent's development.
Occupation:: A Rook or Queen that controls a file or rank is said to occupy that file or rank. A piece is said to occupy the square it is sitting on.
Official Rules of Chess:: Official FIDE publication setting forth the Laws of Chess.
Open file:: A file cleared of Pawns. It offers a corridor for attack, especially if occupied by doubled Rooks. A file is still open even if it is occupied by pieces other than Pawns.
Open game:: A position characterized by many open ranks, files, or diagonals, and few center Pawns.
Open Tournament:: A tournament which is open to any player.
Opening:: The start of a game, incorporating the first dozen or so moves. The basic goals of an opening are to develop pieces as quickly as possible.
Openings:: The more-or-less standardized and analyzed patterns of moves that both sides make at the start of a game. Some are named after people (Ruy Lopez), some after places (Budapest Counter-Gambit), some after pieces or moves (Four Knights Defense). Some are descriptive (Giuoco Piano, or quiet game).
Opposition:: A position in which opposing Kings stand on the same rank, file or diagonal, separated from each other by only one square. The player whose move brings the Kings into opposition holds an advantage that, in an end-game, can be decisive.
Outpost:: Term coined by Nimzowitsch; a piece placed on a square (on an open or half-open file) on the opponent's side of the board, protected by a Pawn, which cannot be attacked by an enemy Pawn. The power of the piece on the outpost can be so strong the opponent may be forced to exchange it, even at the cost of material or positional loss.
Overload:: A situation where a Pawn or piece must perform too many defensive functions, so that if one it is forced to perform one function a weakness will be created.
Over-protection:: Nimzowitsch's concept of concentrating many pieces and/or Pawns--even more than might seem necessary--on an important square. This creates a strong square which interacts beneficially with the over-protecting pieces.
Overextension:: When space is gained too fast. By rushing his Pawns forward and trying to control a lot of territory, a player can leave weaknesses in his camp or can weaken the advanced Pawns themselves. He is then said to have overextended his position.
Overworked piece:: A piece that is required to single handedly defend too many other pieces.

P

Passed Pawn:: A Pawn unopposed, on its own or adjacent files, by a Pawn of another color. By being advanced to the eighth rank it can become any piece its owner chooses. A passed Pawn, therefore, is a source of worry for the other side and a precious advantage for its owner. Two united passed Pawns on adjacent files constitute a formidable weapon.
Passive:: Description of a move which contains no threats. Also, refers to a piece with limited mobility, i.e. a piece which is not active.
Pawn:: Physically, the smallest unit on the Chessboard. A Pawn moves straight ahead but captures diagonally. Originally, a Pawn could only ever move a single square forward. During the renaissance a player was given the option of moving a Pawn forward two squares on its first move. If a Pawn reaches the eighth rank, it must be promoted to another piece.
Pawn break:: The possibility of opening up a blocked Pawn structure by advancing a Pawn.
Pawn center:: A pair or group of Pawns of the same color that occupy the central squares of the board.
Pawn chain:: A string of two or more Pawns of the same color along a diagonal.
Pawn grabbing:: Deprecating term to describe the act of winning Pawns at the expense of development or countering an opponent’s attack. Also known as Pawn snatching.
Pawn island:: A Pawn or group of Pawns separated from other Pawns of the same color.
Pawn storm:: The general advance of two or more connected Pawns. A Pawn storm may be employed to attack the King, to promote one of the Pawns, to keep some of the opponents’ pieces away from another part of the board, among other things.
Pawn structure:: All aspects of the Pawn setup. Also referred to as the Pawn skeleton or the arrangement of a player's Pawns on the board.
Perpetual Check:: An infinite cycle in which one side gives check, the other side gets out of check, the first side checks again in the same way - being unable to do otherwise without risking the loss of the game - and so on. It constitutes a draw.
Piece:
Pig:: Slang term for a Rook. (Rooks doubled on the 7th rank are commonly referred to as pigs on the 7th.)
Pin:: A position in which a piece may not be moved because another piece would be subject to capture. If the piece subject to capture is the King, the Pin is absolute and the pinned piece cannot legally be moved. When the piece is not the King, the tactic is called a 'relative Pin'.
Point count:: A system that gives the pieces the following numeric values: King= priceless; Queen= 9 points; Rook= 5 points; Bishop= 3 points; Knight= 3 points; and Pawn= 1 point.
Poisoned Pawn Opening:: A Pawn (often White's Pawn on b2) which is undefended during the opening but which if taken, often permits the player who gave up the Pawn to engage in a strong attack or to later win the piece taking the Pawn.
Promotion:: Also called 'Queening'. When a Pawn reaches the 8th rank, it can be promoted to a Bishop, Knight, Rook, or Queen of the same color.

Q

Queen:: The strongest piece on the board (but second in size to the King) and which combines the moves of the Bishop and the Rook, namely is able to move along diagonals, ranks, or files as far as such lines are unobstructed.
Queening Square:: The 8th rank square to which a Pawn is moved, and then must be promoted. This promotion square is called the Queening square because the promotion choice is nearly always a Queen.
Queenside:: The half of the board that includes the d, c, b, and a files. The Queenside pieces are the Queen, the Bishop next to it, the Knight next to the Bishop, and the Rook next to the Knight.

R

Rank:: A row of squares running from side to side of the board each side numbers the ranks from one to eight, starting with the rank nearest him and running to the rank nearest his opponent. Also, any horizontal row on a Chessboard.
Rating:: A number that measures a player's relative strength. The higher the number, the stronger the player. In the UK, the term grading is used in place of rating.
Repetition of Position:: A player may claim a draw if he can demonstrate that a three-fold repetition of the position has occurred, with the same player having the move each time.
Resign:: When a player realizes that he is going to lose and graciously gives up the game without waiting for a Checkmate. When resigning, a player can simply say, "I resign", or he can tip over his King in a gesture of helplessness.
Round Robin:: A tournament where each participant plays one game with every other participant.
Royal Fork:: A Fork that attacks both the King and the Queen.

S

Sacrifice:

The voluntary offer of material for compensation in space, time, Pawn structure, or even force. A sacrifice can lead to a force advantage in a particular part of the board. Unlike a combination, a sacrifice is not always a calculable commodity and often entails an element of uncertainty.

Scholar's Mate:

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. Qh5 Nf6 4. Qxf7#.

Score Sheet:

The sheet of paper on which chess notation is recorded.

Simplify:

To trade pieces to quiet down the position, to eliminate the opponent's attacking potential, or to clarify the situation. The player with the better position is more likely to simplify than the player with the worse position.

Simultaneous Exhibition:

Event where a single player (usually a master or good player) play several people all at the same time. Numerous boards are set up, in a circle or rectangle, and the single player stands “inside” this area, moving from board to board, usually playing a single move at a time. Also known as Simultaneous Display or Simul.

Skewer:

A threat against a valuable piece that forces that piece to move, allowing the capture of a less valuable piece behind it, on the same rank, file, or diagonal, after the attacked piece is moved.

SM:

Senior Master.

Smothered Mate:

A mate with a Knight where the King is unable to move because all the squares around him are occupied by other pieces.

Solkoff Score:

A tie-breaking system applicable to Swiss tournaments. A player's Solkoff Score is equal to the scores off all his opponents.

Sonneborn-Berger Score:

A tie-breaking system. An individual's Sonneborn-Berger score equals the sum of the scores of the players beaten plus half the sum of the scores of players with whom draws were scored.

Space:

The territory controlled by each player.

Stalemate:

A situation in which one side is unable to make a legal move although the king is not in check. A stalemate is a draw. For over 100 years this has been deemed a draw. Before that, stalemate was treated differently in different places, for example it has been held to be a win, a loss, and illegal, among others.

Swiss System:

A method of pairing players at a tournament, developed in Switzerland in the 19th century by Dr. Julius Muller and first employed in 1895. The three fundamental rules of the Swiss System are:

No player meets the same opponent twice;
Pairings should match players with scores which are as similar as possible;
The number of games as White and as Black for each player should be kept as close as possible to equal throughout the tournament.

Symmetry:

Position where the pieces of one side mirrors the position of the pieces of the other side.

T

Tactics:: Maneuvers that take advantage of short-term opportunities. A position with many traps and combinations is considered to be Tactical in nature.
TD:: Abbreviation for tournament director.
Tempo:: As in music, time. Plural, tempi. In chess, there are basically three elements - space, time and material. Space and material are self-evident. Time, however, is more subtle. Initially, White, having the first move, has a time advantage (and thus, the initiative). But White can, by making useless moves, waste time. To make a wasteful move is to "lose a tempo." Over the board, tempi, space and material can be exchanged back and forth for one another.
Theory:: Well known opening, middle game, and endgame positions that are documented in Chess books.
Threat:: A move which contains an implied or expressed attack on a piece or Pawn or the position of the opponent.
Three-fold repetition:: Occurs when the players have been moving back and forth, repeating the same position. Often happens when a player, behind in material and facing eventual loss, sacrifices for a perpetual check. A Three-fold repetition of position results in a Draw.
Tie-Breaking System:: A method used to determine a single winner when tournament play produces a tie. One tie-break is the play-off, but due to the time it takes to play additional games, this is often not feasible. Ties are sometimes resolved in favor of the player who won the most games, the player who won the individual game between the tied players, or the player who had Black if the individual game between the players was drawn.
Time control:: The amount of time in which each player must play a specified number of moves. In international competitions, the typical time control is 40 moves in 2 hours for each player.
Time pressure:: One of the most exciting moments in a tournament Chess game. When one or both players have used up most of the time on their Clocks but still have several moves to make before they reach the mandatory total of 40 or 45, they start to make moves with increasing rapidity, some times slamming down the pieces in frenzied panic. Terrible blunders are typical in this phase.
Time Trouble:: Situation where a player has a small amount of time to make a large number of moves.
Touch Move:: Chess rule which requires a player who touches a piece to actually move that piece (if it is his own) or take that piece (if it belongs to his opponent). If the piece touched cannot be legally moved or captured, then the player may make any move. A player may touch and piece and not be compelled to move or capture it if he first announces ”J’adoube or I adjus”.
Tournament:: A contest among more than two Chess players.
Transposition:: Reaching an identical opening position by a different order of moves. For example, the French Defense is usually reached by 1.e4 - e6, 2.d4 - d5, but 1.d4 - e6, 2.e4 - d5 transposes into the same position.
Trade:: Same as exchange.
Trap:: A way of surreptitiously luring the opponent into making a mistake or a move whose natural reply results in a disadvantage to the replying player.
Tripled Pawns:: Three Pawns of the same color on a single file, one in front of the other.

U

Under promotion:: Promoting a Pawn which has reached the eighth rank to a piece other than a Queen.
Undoubling:: To move one of a set of doubled Pawns onto an adjacent file which contains no Pawns of its own color, via a capture.
USCF:

V

W

Weakness:: Any Pawn or square that is attackable and therefore hard to defend.
Weak Square:: An important square which cannot be easily defended.
WGM:: Woman Grandmaster

X

X-Ray Attack:: Same as a skewer.

Y

Z

Zugzwang:: A German term that means "compulsion to move". It refers to a situation in which a player would prefer to do nothing because any move leads to a deterioration of his position, but he moves something because it is illegal to pass.
Zwischenzug:: A German term that means "in between move". A surprising move that, when inserted in an apparently logical sequence (for example, a check that interrupts a series of exchanges), changes the result of that sequence.

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