Illustrations of Technical Chess Terms

Welcome to part two of Chess Definitions and Technical Terms... I encourage you to open two browser windows to view the illustrations while reading part one - chess definitions to make understanding them easier.

Chess Illustrations for Technical Chess Terms

The Operation of "Castling" and "Discovered Check."

In this situation (diagram 8) the white King is threatened with what is called "a discovered check," that is, his opponent, by removing the Bishop, would discover check from the Queen, a proceeding in the present instance, which would speedily involve the loss of the game to White. Not being at the moment in check, however, and having moved neither King nor Rook, and there being no intervening Piece between the King and his own Rook, White is enabled to castle, giving check to the adverse King at the same time, and win the game easily, for Black has no square to which he can move his King without going into check, and is consequently obliged to interpose his Q. at K. B's second, or K. B's third square, in either case being checkmated in two more moves, as you will soon be able to see.

No. 8.

BLACK.

WHITE.




Checkmate.
No. 9.

BLACK.

WHITE.

The above position represents the appearance of the forces on each side towards the end of a game, and will assist to explain the application of two or three of the technical terms described in the present section, as well as to exhibit the King in a situation of checkmate. You already understand that the moves at chess are played by each party alternately; in this case it is White's turn to play, and he will checkmate his antagonist in two moves. Place the chess-men on your board exactly in the order they stand in the diagram; having done this, suppose yourself to be playing the White men, and take the Black King's Pawn with your Queen, in the manner before shown, i.e., by taking the Pawn from the board and stationing your Queen on the square it occupied. By this act, you not only take his Pawn, but you attack his King, and must apprise him of his danger by calling "check." He has now two ways only of parrying this check. It is clear he cannot move his King, because the only two squares to which he could move without going into check are occupied by his own men; he is forced then either to take the Queen with his K. B's Pawn, or to interpose the Bishop at King's second square. If he take the Queen with his K. B's Pawn, you must reply by playing your King's Bishop (which you will know by the color of the diagonal on which he travels) to K. Kt's sixth square, crying "check." Examine the position attentively, and you will find that Black has no square to which he can move his King, the only vacant one being attacked by your Queen's Bishop, that he has nothing wherewith to take the Bishop that has given check, and neither Piece nor Pawn with which to interpose between it and his King, and that consequently, he is not only checked, but checkmated. In like manner, if, at his first move, instead of capturing your Queen, he interpose his Bishop at King's second square, you immediately take the Bishop with your Queen, who is protected by her Bishop, and say "checkmate."

We append a diagram here, showing a position which has frequently been misapprehended by unpracticed players.

By inspecting the diagram it will be seen that the White King is in check of the Black Queen. By the simple move of the White Rook to K. Kt's 5th square, checking the Black King, and at the same time discovering check by the White Queen, Black is checkmated, although having by far the strongest force of men. We give the position to show that any Piece or Pawn, although employed in covering a check of its own King, has nevertheless the power to check the adverse King.

No. 10.


BLACK.

WHITE.


Perpetual Check.

This diagram will enable you to understand what is meant by perpetual check as well as the most elaborate arrangement of the men could do. Place the men on your chess-board according to the diagram, suppose yourself to be playing the white Pieces, and that it is your turn to move. Your adversary, you will observe, has the advantage in point of force, but this is counterbalanced by the situation, which enables you to draw the game. To do this, you must first play your Queen to one of the three squares where she will check the King, i.e., to K's 4th, Q's 5th, or Q. B's 6th; it is indifferent which, say, therefore, Q. to K's 4th (check). Black has no option, his King cannot move, he must interpose his Queen. If now you were to take the Queen you would lose the game, on account of his two Pawns; but instead of doing so, you play the Queen to King's 8th sq, giving check. The black Queen must again interpose; you repeat the check at K's 4th, Black can only parry it with his Queen, and you may persist in giving the same two checks, ad infinity. In such cases, the game is resigned as "drawn by perpetual check."

No. 11.

BLACK.

WHITE.


Smothered Mate.

This is a familiar example of smothered mate, which you will find can be effected by no other Piece than the Knight. White first move is, Queen to her 5th square checking. Black is obliged to retreat his King to the R's sq., because, were he to play him to his B's sq.K. B's 7th; this brings the King back again to , and affords to White an opportunity of giving double check, which he does by moving the Knight to K. Rook's 6th, checking with both Q. and Knight; as before, the King must go to Rook's sq.; and now follows a beautiful move—White plays his Queen down to K. Kt's 8th (next square to the Black King), giving check; the King cannot take on account of the Knight; he is compelled, therefore, to capture with his Rook, and the Knight then gives the smothered mate at K. B's 7th square.

No. 12.


BLACK.

WHITE.


Stalemate.

Here you observe that White has the great advantage of a Queen against a Rook; but with all this, and the move to boot, it is impossible for him to do more than draw the game. It is evident that he cannot move his Queen from the front of his King on account of exposing him to check with the Rook. If he move his King, Black takes the Queen, and the game is drawn. And lastly, if he take the Rook with his Queen, he places the adverse King in the position before described of stalemate.

No. 13.

BLACK.

WHITE.

Now that you have an thorough understanding of chess terms and knowledge of how the pieces move about the chess board, we will begin to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the chess pieces in the next lesson.

Movement of the Chess Pieces and Pawns and Mode of Capturing an Adverse Man

In the previous post, you learned the names of the chess pieces and how to how to setup a chess board for beginning play. This lesson will teach you how the pieces and pawns move about the board and how to capture an opponent.

A knowledge of the moves peculiar to these several men is so difficult to describe in writing, and so comparatively easy to acquire over the chess-board, from any competent person, that the learner is strongly recommended to avail himself of the latter means when practicable: for the use, however, of those who have no chess-playing acquaintance at command, the subjoined description will, it is hoped, suffice.

The "Pieces," by which title the eight superior officers are technically designated, in contradistinction to the "Pawns," all take in the same direction in which they move. This act consists in removing the adverse Piece or Pawn from the board, and placing the captor on the square the former occupied. To make this clear, we will begin with the King, and show his mode of moving and of capturing an adverse man.

The King.

The King can move one square only at a time (except in "Castling," which will be explained hereafter), but he can make this move in any direction, forwards, backwards, laterally, or diagonally. He can take any one of the adversary's men which stands on an adjoining square to that he occupies, provided such man is left unprotected, and he has the peculiar privilege of being himself exempt from capture. He is not permitted, however, to move into check, that is, on to any square which is guarded by a Piece or Pawn of the enemy, nor can he, under any circumstance, be played to an adjacent square to that on which the rival King is stationed. Like most of the other Pieces, his power is greatest in the middle of the board, where, without obstruction, he has the choice of eight different squares. At the sides, he may play to any one of five, but when in the angles of the board, three squares only are at his command.

No. 2.

BLACK.

WHITE.

Supposing diagram No. 2 to show the position of the men towards the conclusion of a game, and it being either party's turn to play, he could take the adverse Pawn from the board, and place his King on the square it occupied; and, by doing so, the King would not depart from the order of his march, which, as we have before said, permits him to move one step in every direction. In each of these instances we have placed the Pawn in front of the King, but he would be equally entitled to take it were it standing on any other part of the eight squares immediately surrounding him, always provided it was not sustained or guarded by some other Piece or Pawn.

The Queen.

The Queen is by much the most powerful of the forces. She has the advantage of moving as a Rook, in straight lines, forwards, backwards, and sideways, to the extent of the board in all directions, and as a Bishop, diagonally, with the same range. To comprehend her scope of action, place her alone in the center of the board; it will then be seen that she has the command of no less than twenty-seven squares, besides the one she stands on. (Diagram No. 3.)

No. 3.

Thus placed in the middle of the board, the range of the Queen is immense. She has here the option of taking any one of eight men at the extremity of the board, on the squares respectively numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, should her line of march be unobstructed; and if these men were nearer, on any of the intermediate squares, she would be equally enabled to take any one of them at her choice. Like all the other Pieces and Pawns, she effects the capture by removing the man from the board and stationing herself on the vacated square.

The Rook.

No. 4.

BLACK.

WHITE.

The Rook, or Castle, is next in power to the Queen. He moves in a straight line, forwards, backwards, or sideways, having a uniform range, on a clear board, of fourteen squares, exclusive of the one he occupies.
The Rook has the same power in taking as the Queen, forwards, backwards, and sideways, but he cannot, like her, take any man diagonally.

For example, place the Rook in the center of the board, and an opposing man on each of the squares numbered, and the Rook has the power of taking any one of the four; and he has the same power if the Pieces are one or two squares closer to him, or immediately surrounding him, in the direction indicated by the four figures. (See Diagram No. 4.)

The Bishop.

The Bishop moves diagonally forwards or backwards, to the extent of the Board. It follows, therefore, that he travels throughout the game only on squares of the same color as the one on which he stands when the game begins, and that each player has a Bishop running on white squares, and one on black squares. When placed on a center square of a clear board, he will be found to have a range of thirteen squares.

No. 5.

The Bishop takes, as he moves, diagonally, either forwards or backwards, his range extending, on unobstructed squares, to the extent of the diagonal line on which he travels. (See Diagram No. 5.)

The Knight.

in a straight line, and one in an oblique direction; or it may be perhaps better understood by saying that he moves two squares in a straight line, and one in a side direction.

No. 6.

BLACK.

WHITE.

His power and method of taking an opponent's man will be seen from the diagram (No. 6) on page 14.
In this situation, in the center of the board, he would have the power of taking any one of the men stationed on the squares numbered, by removing the man and placing himself on the vacant square.

The Pawn.

The Pawn moves only one square at a time, and that straight forward, except in the act of capturing, when it takes one step diagonally to the right or left file on to the square occupied by the man taken, and continues on that file until it captures another man. It may, however, for its first move advance two steps, provided no hostile Pawn commands the first square over which he leaps, for, in that case, the adverse Pawn has the option of taking him in his passage, as if he had moved one step only. A Pawn is the only one of the forces which goes out of his direction to capture, and which has not the advantage of moving backwards; but it has one remarkable privilege, by which, on occasions, it becomes invaluable, whenever it reaches the extreme square of the file on which it travels, it is invested with the title and assumes the power of any superior Piece, except the King, which the player chooses. From this circumstance it frequently happens that one party, by skillful management of his Pawns, contrives to have two, and sometimes even three Queens on the board at once, a combination of force which of course is irresistible.

As we before observed, the Pawn is the only man which captures in a direction different from his line of march. Suppose, at the opening of the game, White begins by playing King's Pawn to King's fourth square (see the article on Notation), Black may reply in the same manner with King's Pawn to King's fourth square, and neither Pawn can do more than remain an obstruction to the onward march of the other, but if Black answer instead with King's Bishop's Pawn to Bishop's fourth, or as in the diagram, with Queen's Pawn to Queen's fourth, then White, if he choose, may take the adverse Pawn from the board and place his own in its stead.

No. 7.

BLACK.

WHITE.

The next lesson will be one of the most important aspects for the serious chess student (and beginning chess player) - chess notation.