Strategy
Longer-term positional ideas — pawn structure, space, initiative, and the strategic language largely codified by 19th- and 20th-century theorists.
Equipment & Setup (20)
Openings & Basic Rules (32)
Tactics (36)
Strategy (36)
Endgame (22)
Arbiter & Tournament (22)
Slang & Culture (32)
A pawn that lags behind pawns of the same color on adjacent files and cannot safely advance.
A bishop whose mobility is restricted by its own pawns occupying squares of the same color.
English
The advantage of having retained both bishops while the opponent has traded away one of theirs.
English
The strategy of stopping an enemy pawn or piece from advancing by occupying the square directly in front of it.
English, from French, ultimately Germanic
The strategic placement of pieces, especially the king in the endgame, toward the center of the board where they exert maximum influence.
French, from Latin
A group of squares of the same color that one side controls or dominates, often due to the opponent lacking a bishop that covers those squares.
English, with a German antecedent in Nimzowitsch
Non-material factors, such as activity, development, or attacking chances, that offset a material or structural deficit.
Latin, via Old French
Pawns of the same color positioned on adjacent files, able to support or be supported by each other.
English
The process of moving pieces, especially knights and bishops, from their starting squares to active positions early in the game.
French
A situation in which an enemy piece is so restricted by the position that it has no safe or useful moves, effectively taking it out of play.
Latin, via Old French
Two pawns of the same color stacked on the same file, usually resulting from a capture.
A style of play that prioritizes active piece play, initiative, and concrete threats over long-term static structural factors.
Greek, via French and general English
Deliberately giving up a rook for a bishop or knight to gain positional, structural, or attacking compensation.
Late Latin (via Old French/Anglo-French) for exchange
Developing a bishop to the long diagonal on the second rank, typically via g2/g7 or b2/b7.
Italian
A bishop that is not blocked by its own pawns and can operate on open diagonals of the opposite color to its own pawn structure.
English
Two connected pawns of the same color, standing side by side on adjacent open or half-open files, with no other pawns supporting them from behind.
German, calqued into English
A square, usually in front of a backward or blocked pawn, that can never again be defended by a pawn of that color.
English, eponymous coinage
The advantage of being able to create threats that force the opponent to respond, dictating the game's direction.
French (from Latin)
A pawn with no friendly pawns on the adjacent files, unable to be defended by another pawn.
French/Italian → English (isolated); Italian for the nickname isolani
A strategic plan in which a smaller number of pawns advances against a larger group to create structural weaknesses.
A king endgame concept in which kings face each other with an odd number of squares between them, giving the player NOT to move an advantage.
Latin (via Old French)
A strong square, usually for a knight, that is protected by a pawn and cannot easily be attacked by enemy pawns.
English (military)
A strategic idea, associated with Aron Nimzowitsch, of defending a key square or piece with more force than is strictly necessary at the moment.
German, calqued into English
A pawn with no opposing pawns in front of it on its own file or the adjacent files, giving it a clear path to promotion.
A diagonal line of pawns of the same color, each defending the one in front of it.
Latin (via Old French) for chain
A group of one or more pawns of the same color that is separated from other such groups by at least one fully open file.
English
The general measure of how mobile and useful a side's pieces are in a given position.
Latin, via Old French
A sacrifice made for long-term structural or spatial gain rather than for an immediate tactical payoff.
Latin (via French) for position
A strategic idea holding that a single weakness in an opponent's position is often defensible, but creating and exploiting a second weakness elsewhere on the board can overwhelm the defense.
English, as a translated training-literature formula
A strategic approach of anticipating and preventing an opponent's plans before pursuing one's own.
Greek (via medical terminology)
A strategic approach that focuses on preventing an opponent's pawns or pieces from advancing or improving, rather than immediately attacking them.
Old French, from Latin
The strategy of trading off pieces to reach a simpler position, typically to convert an advantage or secure a draw.
French, from Medieval Latin
The relative amount of board territory controlled by a player's pawns and pieces.
Latin (via Old French)
A single move considered as a unit of time; gaining or losing tempo means gaining or losing time relative to a plan.
Italian
A square that cannot be defended by a pawn and is therefore vulnerable to permanent occupation by an enemy piece.
A position in which any legal move a player makes will worsen their position, yet they are forced to move anyway.
German