Chess Basics: Common words in chess and their meanings

Chess is one of the oldest and the most fascinating board games ever invented and played with such passion and involvement. Yes - this is the most passionate game because you have to give your best to say checkmate and win over your opponent. Because, chess is one game where there is no room for luck or chance. You are the master of the game and you decide the fate of your prospects.

So, apart from the basic elements of chess, one should be aware of the many common terms used in the game of chess such as pin, castling, development, opening, fork, etc.,

This article is an attempt to help you understand these common terms.

An opening is simply the first moves of the game. You are free to move any pawn or piece you like, so long as the move is legal, but chess has been studied for thousands of years, and many openings have been developed that are known to lead to good possibilities.

Development means bringing your pieces (the ones on the back row, such as knights and bishops) out from their starting positions so they can be used to take part in attacks on the opponent or to defend your own pieces. Many openings begin by bringing out the knights and/or bishops out within the first half-dozen moves.

Castling can only be done once by each player, and is designed to protect the king. You must have cleared a path between the king and one of the rooks before you can castle, and neither the king nor the rook must have moved. To castle, move the king two squares towards the rook, and then move the rook to one square past the king (so the rook jumps' over the king to land on the square next to it). It is called castling, because the other name for a rook is a castle.

Pins, forks and skewers are terms for some particularly useful moves. A pin is a move that prevents another piece from moving (often because moving the piece would place the king in check). A fork is a move in which a single piece attacks two pieces simultaneously. A skewer is a move that puts the king in check and forces it to move on a line or diagonal also occupied by another piece. So when the king moves, the other piece is captured.

En prise is the term used for a piece that is undefended and can be captured. En passant is a special move in which a pawn captures another which has just made its first move. A pawn, on its first move, moves two squares forward, bringing it next to an opposing pawn. Moving only one square forward would have put it in a position where it could be captured, but the opponent can capture the pawn anyway en passant (in passing). The pawn moves into the square it would have captured in anyway.

A gambit is a sacrifice (usually of a pawn) during the opening moves, usually to give an advantage of some kind, such as more space, less cramping, or to double' the opponent's pawns (meaning two pawns are now on the same column).