This page includes commonly used chess terms and names.

Capablanca, "Capa": Jose Capablanca made chess look so effortless, he was known as the "Chess Machine."

capture: To take an opponent's piece off the board and out of play.

castle: A special move in which a King and a Rook move simultaneously. Also, an informal, alternative name for a Rook.

clock, chessclock: An object used to time a chess game. The usual penalty for exceeding the time limit is the loss of the game.

en passant: A special type of pawn move. It is rarely known by non-tournament players.

endgame: The portion of the game when most of the pieces have been taken off the board.

Fischer: The first world champion born in the U.S. Also, the youngest grandmaster up to that time.

flag: The term used for the plastic piece on a chess clock that indicates a time forfeit.

grandmaster: The highest level title that can be achieved in chess.

Gruenfeld Gambit: A pawn (or more important piece) sacrifice, played by Black in the Gruenfeld Defense.

handicap: An attempt, usually affecting time or material, to make a stronger player's challenges more equal to that of the weaker player.

illegal position: A position in which both Kings are in check or a number of factors are involved which make a position illegal.

King: The most important piece in a chess game.

Knight: The only piece that can jump over pieces in a chess game.

Legall's mate: A specific pattern that arises when one side sacrifices the Queen to checkmate with one Bishop and 2 Knights.

middlegame: The part of the game that occurs after the opening and before the endgame.

opening: The beginning phase of a chess game.

passed pawn: A pawn with no opposition on an adjoining file.

pawn: The weakest unit on a chessboard; but the only piece that can be promoted.

promotion: An event that occurs when a pawn reaches the opponents first rank.

Queen: The most powerful chess piece.

rank: Horizontal rows on the chessboard, numbered from 1 to 8.

Rook: A piece that moves along ranks and files only.

Sicilian Defence: An asymmetrical answer to White's 1.e4; first played in Palermo in the 1500s.

tempo: A single move. Very often a chess game becomes a fight for tempo.

threat: The essence of a chess game. Threats can be subtle, mating positional, etc. Threats are what you would do if you could play 12 or more moves without an opponent.

time control: A specific number of moves in a specific amount of time. Time controls can be either traditional or sudden death.

tournament: Unlike a match, more than two players are involved.

trap: A series of moves that leads to a favorable outcome for the person who sets it.

variation: The analyses of a chess game; specifically a line of play or annotation.

zeitnot: The German term for time pressure or having moves to make without a lot of time for thought. Almost always a very stressful situation for any player who finds himself there.

zugzwang: German for "compulsion to move." A player is said to be in zugzwang when any move he makes will result in the loss of a piece or otherwise seriously weaken his position, though the opponent presents no concrete threat.

zwischenzug: German for intermediate move. A move which interrupts an apparently forced sequence. A common example is when a player delivers check before capturing a man that he had left en prise.

Source: The US Chess Federation