Chess terms

Short explanations of the words used in games, lessons and analysis. To learn the rules from the start, see the chess rules page.

Analysis · Analiz: Studying a game or position move by move. On XSatranç, games are analyzed with Stockfish when they end.
Back rank · Arka sıra: The first rank, where a player's pieces start (rank 1 for White, rank 8 for Black).
Back rank mate · Koridor matı: A king on the back rank cannot escape because of its own pawns and is mated by a rook or queen.
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The king is trapped behind its own pawns: Ra8 is mate.
Bishop pair · Fil çifti: Having both bishops. In open positions it is usually considered an advantage over bishop and knight.
Blitz · Blitz: A fast game in which each player gets between 3 and 8 minutes.
Bullet · Bullet: A very fast game in which each player gets less than 3 minutes.
Castling · Rok: A special move in which the king and a rook move at the same time. The king moves two squares toward the rook, and the rook jumps over the king. Read more →
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After kingside castling: king on g1, rook on f1.
Center · Merkez: The four squares in the middle of the board: d4, e4, d5 and e5. Pieces controlling the center are more effective.
Check · Şah: The king is under attack. The player in check must remove the threat on their next move.
Checkmate · Mat: The king is in check and there is no way to escape the check. It ends the game.
Combination · Kombinasyon: A forcing sequence of moves, often starting with a sacrifice, that wins something concrete.
Development · Gelişim: Bringing the knights and bishops off their starting squares and into play.
Double check · Çifte şah: Two pieces giving check at the same time. The only escape is to move the king.
Draw · Beraberlik: A result in which nobody wins. It happens by stalemate, agreement, threefold repetition, the 50-move rule or insufficient mating material. Read more →
Elo · Elo: A rating system that measures players' strength. XSatranç uses the similar but more precise Glicko-2 system.
En passant · Geçerken alma: When a pawn advances two squares from its starting square, an enemy pawn beside it may capture it as if it had moved one square. Only possible on the very next move. Read more →
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Black played d7–d5. White can capture with the e5 pawn: exd6.
Endgame · Oyun sonu: The final phase, after most pieces have been traded. The king becomes an active piece and pawn promotion gains importance.
Exchange (trade) · Değiş tokuş: Both sides capturing pieces in turn. Trading pieces of equal value keeps the balance. Read more →
Fianchetto · Fianketto: Placing a bishop on the long diagonal (b2, g2, b7 or g7) after pushing the knight pawn in front of it one square.
Fork · Çatal: A single piece attacking two or more enemy pieces at once. Knights are masters of the fork.
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The knight on c7 attacks both king and rook; once the king moves, the rook falls.
Gambit · Gambit: Sacrificing a pawn (sometimes more) in the opening for quick development or an attack. Example: the Queen's Gambit.
Initiative · İnisiyatif: The advantage of the side that creates threats and forces the opponent to respond.
Isolated pawn · İzole piyon: A pawn with no friendly pawns on adjacent files. It can be weak because no pawn can protect it.
Middlegame · Orta oyun: The phase after the opening, while most pieces are still on the board and plans and tactics come to the fore.
Minor piece · Küçük taş: Knights and bishops. Rooks and queens are major pieces.
Move order · Hamle sırası: The order in which moves leading to the same position are played. A wrong order can give the opponent a chance.
Notation · Notasyon: Writing down moves. In English, K (king), Q (queen), R (rook), B (bishop) and N (knight) are used; pawns get no letter.
Open file · Açık hat: A file with no pawns on it. Rooks are at their strongest on open files.
Opening · Açılış: The first phase of the game: the first 10–15 moves, in which pieces are developed, the center is contested and the king is brought to safety. Read more →
Opposition · Muhalefet: In the endgame, the two kings facing each other with one square between them. The side not to move has the opposition, which is often an advantage.
Passed pawn · Geçer piyon: A pawn with no enemy pawns in front of it on its own or adjacent files to stop it. Very valuable in the endgame.
Pawn chain · Piyon zinciri: A diagonal line of pawns protecting each other. The base of the chain is usually the target of attack.
PGN · PGN: The standard text format for recording chess games. You can download your games from XSatranç as PGN.
Pin · Açmaz: A piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece (or the king) behind it. A piece pinned to the king may not move at all by the rules.
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The bishop on b5 pins the knight on c6 to the king: the knight cannot move.
Promotion · Terfi: A pawn reaching the last rank turns into a queen, rook, bishop or knight. Usually a queen is chosen. Read more →
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The pawn on e7 promotes when it reaches e8.
Rapid · Rapid: A game in which each player gets 8 minutes or more.
Sacrifice · Feda: Deliberately giving up material for a bigger gain (mate, attack, positional advantage).
Skewer · Şiş: The reverse of a pin: a valuable piece is attacked, and when it moves away, the piece behind it is captured.
Smothered mate · Boğmaca matı: A mate in which the king is surrounded by its own pieces and mated by a knight.
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The king is stuck between its own rook and pawns: the knight on f7 gives mate.
Stalemate · Pat: The player to move is not in check but has no legal move. The game is drawn. Read more →
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Black to move, the king is not in check but has nowhere to go: stalemate.
Tactics · Taktik: Short-term moves that win something concrete, such as forks, pins, skewers and sacrifices. Puzzles build your tactical strength. Read more →
Tempo · Tempo: One move's worth of time. You gain a tempo by forcing your opponent to respond to threats.
The exchange · Kalite: The difference in value between a rook and a minor piece (knight or bishop). Winning a rook for a minor piece is winning the exchange.
Trap · Tuzak: A setup that lures the opponent into a mistake with a natural-looking move. Read more →
Weak square · Zayıf kare: A square that can no longer be protected by pawns, where enemy pieces can settle.
Zugzwang · Sıkışma: A position where having to move is a disadvantage: the player would be fine if they could pass, but every move makes things worse.