Back-rank mate
Back-rank mate is a mating pattern in which a rook or queen checks along the opponent's home rank while escape…
Learn the term100 ESSENTIAL CHESS TERMS / A–Z
Tactics Chess Terms
Explore tactics chess vocabulary with clear definitions, examples, related concepts, and study guidance from the ChessRankings.com glossary.
18 chess terms
B
C
Combination
A combination is a connected sequence of tactical ideas, often involving a sacrifice, that aims at a specific…
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Decoy
A decoy is a tactic that attracts an opposing piece to a particular square where a further tactic becomes…
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Deflection
Deflection is a tactic that draws a defender away from a piece, square, or line it needs to…
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Discovered attack
A discovered attack occurs when moving one piece opens an attack by another piece behind…
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Discovered check
Discovered check is a check delivered by a piece whose line is opened when another friendly piece moves…
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Double check
Double check means that two pieces attack the opposing king simultaneously after one…
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Exchange sacrifice
An exchange sacrifice gives up a rook for a bishop or knight, usually to gain activity, structure, or attacking…
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Fork
A fork is a move that attacks two or more targets at the same time with one piece or…
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Interference
Interference is the obstruction of a defensive line, reducing the coordination between opposing…
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Overloading
Overloading occurs when one defending piece has more responsibilities than it can successfully perform at the same…
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Perpetual check
Perpetual check describes a checking sequence that the opponent cannot escape without accepting an unfavorable…
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Pin
A pin restricts a piece because moving it would expose a more valuable piece or an important square behind…
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Sacrifice
A sacrifice gives up material voluntarily to obtain a concrete tactical result or longer-term positional…
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Skewer
A skewer attacks a valuable piece positioned in front of another target, hoping to win the piece behind when the…
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Smothered mate
Smothered mate is a checkmate delivered by a knight against a king whose surrounding escape squares are occupied…
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Tactics
Chess tactics are concrete sequences that exploit immediate features such as exposed kings, loose pieces,…
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Zwischenzug
Zwischenzug, or an in-between move, is an unexpected intermediate move played before an apparently natural…
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