Piece names and nicknames
| Official name | Common nickname | Notation | Where the name comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | — | K | The piece the game is about. |
| Queen | — | Q | In medieval Persian and Arabic chess this was a weak counsellor; it became the queen in Europe. |
| Rook | Castle | R | From Persian rukh via Arabic rukhkh and Old French roc (Etymonline). Historians usually link the early piece to a chariot; the tower shape came later. |
| Bishop | — | B | The top is shaped like a bishop’s mitre. Other languages call it an elephant (Spanish alfil, from Arabic al-fīl), a fool (French fou) or a runner (German Läufer). |
| Knight | Horse | N | Carved as a horse’s head; written N because K is taken by the king. |
| Pawn | — | (none) | Pawn moves are written with the square only, such as e4. |
For how each piece moves, see chess pieces and how they move.
A–Z chess glossary
#KingPieces
The most important piece. It moves one square in any direction. The game is lost when it is checkmated, and it is never actually captured. See Can a king take a king?.
#QueenPieces
The most powerful piece: it moves any distance along ranks, files and diagonals, combining the rook and bishop.
#RookPieces
Moves any distance along ranks and files. Often called a “castle” informally. The name comes from the Persian rukh, via Arabic and Old French; its original meaning is uncertain, though chess historians have long linked the early piece to a chariot.
#BishopPieces
Moves any distance diagonally and stays on one colour all game. The split top of the Staunton-style piece is shaped like a bishop’s mitre.
#KnightPieces
Moves in an L-shape and can jump over pieces. Usually carved as a horse’s head, so beginners often call it “the horse”. In notation it is N, because K is the king. See chess notation.
#PawnPieces
Moves straight forward one square (two on its first move) and captures one square diagonally forward. On the last rank it is promoted.
#Minor piecePieces
A bishop or a knight.
#Major piecePieces
A rook or a queen.
#FileBoard
A vertical column of squares, named a to h.
#RankBoard
A horizontal row of squares, numbered 1 to 8 from White’s side. See squares on a chess board.
#DiagonalBoard
A line of same-coloured squares running corner to corner. The two longest (a1–h8 and h1–a8) are called the long diagonals.
#CheckRules
An attack on the king. The player in check must escape it on the next move.
#CheckmateRules
The king is in check and has no legal way out. The game ends and the side that gave mate wins (FIDE Laws, Art. 5.1.1).
#StalemateRules
The player to move has no legal move and is not in check. The game is a draw (Art. 5.2.1). See what is a stalemate.
#DrawRules
A game with no winner: each player scores half a point. See every way to draw.
#CastlingRules
A special move of king and rook together: the king moves two squares towards a rook and the rook jumps to the other side of it. See how to castle.
#En passantRules
A special pawn capture of an enemy pawn that has just moved two squares and landed beside yours, allowed only on the very next move. See what is en passant.
#PromotionRules
A pawn reaching the last rank is exchanged for a queen, rook, bishop or knight. Choosing anything but a queen is underpromotion. See pawn promotion.
#CaptureRules
Moving a piece onto a square occupied by an enemy piece, which is removed from the board (Art. 3.1.1). Beginners sometimes say “take” or “kill”.
#Touch-moveRules
Over the board, if you deliberately touch one of your pieces you must move it, and if you touch an opponent’s piece you must capture it if you can (Art. 4.3).
#J’adoubeRules
French for “I adjust”. Said before straightening a piece on its square, so the touch-move rule does not apply (Art. 4.2).
#Dead positionRules
A position where neither player can checkmate by any series of legal moves, such as king against king. The game is drawn at once.
#Threefold repetitionRules
When the same position occurs for the third time, the player to move may claim a draw (Art. 9.2).
#50-move ruleRules
After 50 moves by each player with no capture or pawn move, a draw can be claimed (Art. 9.3).
#ForkTactics
One piece attacks two or more enemy pieces at the same time. See fork lesson.
The knight on c7 attacks the king on e8 and the rook on a8 at once. The king must move, and the rook falls. Open in the analysis board
#PinTactics
A piece cannot move (or should not) because it would expose a more valuable piece behind it. Against the king the pin is absolute: moving is illegal. See pin lesson.
The bishop on b4 pins the knight on d2 to the king: the knight has no legal move. Open in the analysis board
#SkewerTactics
An attack on a valuable piece that, when it moves away, exposes a less valuable piece behind it. See skewer lesson.
#Discovered attackTactics
Moving one piece out of the way to uncover an attack by another. If the uncovered attack is on the king, it is a discovered check. See discovered attack lesson.
#SacrificeTactics
Deliberately giving up material for an attack, a positional gain or a forced win.
#Back-rank mateTactics
Checkmate by a rook or queen on the first or eighth rank, against a king hemmed in by its own pawns. See back-rank mate.
#ZwischenzugTactics
German for “in-between move”: instead of making the expected reply, a player first inserts a stronger forcing move.
#Perpetual checkTactics
A series of checks the opponent cannot escape, usually leading to a draw by repetition.
#BlunderTactics
A very bad mistake, typically losing material or the game. Engines label moves as inaccuracies, mistakes and blunders by how much the evaluation drops. See blunder vs mistake.
#TempoStrategy
A single move, treated as a unit of time. You “gain a tempo” when your move does something useful while forcing a reply, and “lose a tempo” when you spend a move achieving nothing, for example moving the same piece twice in the opening without need.
#OutpostStrategy
A square, usually in or near the opponent’s half, that is protected by your pawn and can never be attacked by an enemy pawn. Knights are especially strong there.
The knight on d5 is protected by the e4 pawn, and Black has no c- or e-pawn that could ever chase it away. Open in the analysis board
#FianchettoStrategy
Developing a bishop to b2 or g2 (b7 or g7 for Black) after moving the knight’s pawn one square, so it controls a long diagonal. From the Italian for “little flank”.
After 1.g3 d5 2.Bg2, White’s bishop sits on g2, aiming down the long diagonal. Open in the analysis board
#DevelopmentStrategy
Bringing pieces from their starting squares into play, the main task of the opening.
#CentreStrategy
The squares d4, e4, d5 and e5 (and more broadly c3–f6). Controlling them gives pieces more scope.
#InitiativeStrategy
The ability to make threats that force the opponent to react.
#Open fileStrategy
A file with no pawns on it. Rooks are strongest on open files.
#Passed pawnStrategy
A pawn with no enemy pawns in front of it on its own or the adjacent files, so no pawn can stop it promoting. See pawn structure.
#Isolated pawnStrategy
A pawn with no friendly pawns on either adjacent file, so no pawn can defend it.
#Doubled pawnsStrategy
Two pawns of the same colour on the same file, usually a weakness.
#The exchangeStrategy
The difference between a rook and a minor piece. Winning a rook for a bishop or knight is “winning the exchange”.
#GambitStrategy
An opening in which a player offers material, usually a pawn, for faster development or attack. See Queen’s Gambit.
#ZugzwangEndgame
German for “compulsion to move”: any move a player makes worsens their position, so they would rather pass, which the rules do not allow. It is most common in king and pawn endgames. See the opposition, a classic zugzwang.
#OppositionEndgame
Kings facing each other with one square (or an odd number of squares) between them; the side not to move “has the opposition”. See opposition lesson.
#TablebaseEndgame
A database with the perfect result of every position with a few pieces. All positions with up to seven pieces are solved. See is chess solved?.
#Algebraic notationNotation & play
The standard way to write moves, such as Nf3 or exd5. See chess notation.
#FENNotation & play
Forsyth–Edwards Notation: one line of text describing a whole position. See FEN vs PGN.
#PGNNotation & play
Portable Game Notation: the standard file format for recording whole games. See FEN vs PGN.
#Elo ratingNotation & play
The rating system, named after Arpad Elo, that estimates playing strength from results. See how Elo works.
#BlitzNotation & play
Fast chess with 10 minutes or less per player under FIDE rules. See time controls.
#Flag / flaggingNotation & play
“Flag fall” is running out of time (Art. 6.1). To “flag” someone is to win because their clock reaches zero. See time controls.
#ResignNotation & play
To give up the game, which the opponent then wins (Art. 5.1.2).
No term matches. Try a shorter word.
Is it a chess term?
Some words come up in word puzzles and quizzes. Here is how they relate to chess.
| Word | Chess term? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Capture | Yes | The official word for taking a piece (FIDE Laws, Art. 3.1.1). |
| Crown | No | Not used in chess. In checkers a piece that reaches the far side is “crowned” a king; the chess equivalent is promotion. |
| Jump | Not as a rule term | People say the knight “jumps” over pieces, but chess has no jump move. Jumping captures belong to checkers. |
| Pound | No | Not a chess term. |
| Mitre (miter) | Not a rules term | It describes the shape of the bishop’s head: a bishop’s mitre (US spelling: miter). |
| Castle | Yes, two ways | “Castling” is the special king-and-rook move; “castle” is also an informal name for the rook. |
Chess terms FAQ
What is the horse called in chess?
The knight. It is usually carved as a horse’s head, and in notation it is written N.
What is the castle called in chess?
The rook. “Castle” is an informal name based on its tower-like shape; castling is the special move it makes with the king.
Why is the chess piece called a rook?
The word comes from the Persian rukh, through Arabic and Old French. Its original meaning is uncertain, though historians have long connected the early piece with a chariot.
What does the rook represent?
In early forms of chess it is usually understood as a chariot. The castle-tower look of today’s rook came later in Europe.
What is a mitre in chess?
The bishop’s head is shaped like a mitre, the tall hat worn by bishops. The slit in the piece’s top represents the cleft of the hat.
What does N mean in chess?
N stands for knight in algebraic notation, because K is already used for the king.
What is a tempo in chess?
A single move considered as a unit of time. Gaining a tempo means making a useful move that also forces your opponent to respond.
What is zugzwang?
A position where the player to move would be better off not moving at all, because every legal move makes things worse.
What is a fianchetto?
Developing a bishop on b2 or g2 (b7 or g7 for Black) behind a pawn moved one square, so the bishop controls a long diagonal.
What is an outpost in chess?
A protected square in or near the enemy camp that no enemy pawn can attack, ideal for a knight.
Sources and how we checked
Rule terms follow the FIDE Laws of Chess (in force from 1 January 2023), with article numbers where a definition comes from the Laws. The four example diagrams were checked with chess.js 1.4.0: the fork really attacks king and rook, the pinned knight really has no legal move, the bishop really stands on g2, and no black pawn can ever attack the outpost square. Word origins follow Etymonline and standard chess histories; where a meaning is disputed, we say so.