Chess Terminology (D)

Chess Terms Starting With "D"

Deflect: To cause a piece to move to a less suitable square. Typically used in the context of a combination or attack, where the deflected piece is critical to the defense.

Develop: In the opening, moving a piece from its original square to make it more active. To redevelop a piece means to move it to a better square after it has already been developed.

Diagonal: A line of squares of the same colour, along which a queen or bishop can move.

Discovered attack: An attack made by a queen, rook or bishop when another piece or pawn moves out of its way.

Discovered check: A check delivered by a piece when another piece or pawn has moved out of its way.

Domination: A situation whereby capture of a piece is unavoidable despite it having wide freedom of movement. Usually occurs in chess problems.

Double attack: Two attacks made with one move: these attacks may be made by the same piece (in which case it is a fork); or by different pieces (a situation which may arise via a discovered attack in which the moved piece also makes a threat). The attacks may directly threaten opposing pieces, or may be threats of another kind: for instance, to capture the queen and deliver checkmate.

Double check: A check delivered by two pieces at the same time. A double check necessarily involves a discovered check.

Doubled pawns: A pair of pawns of the same color on the same file.

Doubled rooks: Two of a player's rooks placed on the same (open) file or rank. This is a battery of rooks.

Draw: A game that ends without victory for either player. Most drawn games are draws by agreement. The other ways that a game can end in a draw are stalemate, three-fold repetition, the fifty-move rule, and insufficient material. A position is said to be a draw (or a drawn position) if either player can, through correct play, eventually force the game into a position where the game must end in a draw, regardless of the moves made by the other player.

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