Chess Terminology (F)

Chess Terms Starting With "F"

Family fork, family check: A knight fork that attacks more than two opposing pieces concomitantly.

Fianchetto: The development of the bishop to the second square on the file of the adjacent knight (that is, b2 or g2 for white, b7 or g7 for black).

File: A column of the chessboard. A specific file can be named either using its position in algebraic notation, a-h, or by using its position in descriptive notation. For example, the f-file or the king bishop file comprises the squares f1-f8 or KB1-KB8.
Fifty move rule: A rule stating that the game is drawn after fifty moves without a pawn move or capture.

Fool's mate: The shortest possible chess game ending in mate: 1. f3 e5 2. g4 Qh4# (or minor variations on this).

Forced move: A move which is clearly the only one which does not result in immediate catastrophe for the moving player.

Fork: When one piece, generally a knight or pawn, simultaneously attacks two (or more) of the opponent's pieces, often specifically called a knight fork when the attacker is a knight. Some sources state that only a knight can give a fork and that the term double attack is correct when another piece is involved, but this is by no means a universal usage.

Fortress: A fortress is a position that, if obtained by the weaker side, will prevent the opposing side from penetration, this generally resulting in a draw (which the weaker side is seeking).

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Copyright 2006 Chess Strategies Blog

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

Chess Terminology (E)

Chess Terms Starting With "E"

En passant ("in the act of passing" ; derived from French): The rule that allows a pawn that has just advanced two squares to be captured by a pawn on the same rank and adjacent file.

En prise (from French): A piece that can be captured. Usually used of a piece that is undefended and can be captured.

Endgame: The stage of the game when there are few pieces left on the board. The endgame follows the middlegame.

Epaulet mate: A checkmate position where the king is blocked on both sides by his own rooks.

Equalize: To create a position where the players have equal chances of winning. In opening theory, since White has the advantage of the first move, lines that equalize are relatively good for Black and bad for White.

Exchange: The capture of a pair of pieces, one white and the other black, usually of the same type (i.e rook for rook, knight for knight etc). The advantage of a rook over a minor piece. The player who captures a rook while losing a minor piece is said to have won the exchange, and the opponent is said to have lost the exchange.

Exchange sacrifice : Giving up a rook for a minor piece (knight or bishop).

Expanded centre : the central sixteen squares on the board.

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Copyright 2006 Chess Strategies Blog

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".