Chess Glossary: Clear Definitions of Chess and Computer Chess Terms

Chess writing is full of short technical words. Some come from scoring and tournament rules, such as BAP scoring, draw by agreement and the Swiss system. Some belong to notation and record keeping, such as FEN and the Unicode chess symbols. Others come from the long relationship between chess and computers, from the opening book and the PolyGlot book to the tablebase and the dedicated chess computer. A few describe other forms of the game, among them xiangqi, the mate problem and correspondence play.

This glossary collects twelve of these terms. Every entry opens with a one-paragraph definition that can be read on its own, followed by short sections on how the thing works, where it came from and where it appears in practice. Where a term has an example, such as the standard starting position written as a FEN string, the example is given in full and explained field by field.

The entries do not try to be complete dictionaries. They each cover one idea in enough depth to be useful, and they link on to the longer articles on the site: the chess history pages for people, rules and tournaments, the computer chess pages for engines, machines and file formats, and the correspondence chess page for games played over days. Each definition names the sources it was checked against, so a reader can follow up anything that matters.

All glossary entries

GlossaryBAP Scoring in Chess: Definition, Points and ExamplesBAP scoring, the Ballard Anti-Draw Point system: what each result is worth, who devised it, where it was first used and how it differs from 3-1-0 scoring.GlossaryCorrespondence Play in Chess: Meaning, Time Limits, NotationCorrespondence play is chess with a long clock, by post, email or server. Meaning, typical time limits, ICCF numeric notation and how it differs from live play.GlossaryDedicated Chess Computer: Definition, History and ExamplesA dedicated chess computer is a standalone device built only to play chess. Its definition, the 1977 Chess Challenger, the sensory board and the later decline.GlossaryDraw by Agreement in Chess: Rule, Procedure and HistoryDraw by agreement in chess: how a draw is offered and accepted under FIDE rules, why the 30-move rule came and went, and how often elite games end drawn.GlossaryEn Passant in Chess: When the Capture Is Allowed and Why It ExistsEn passant is a pawn capture legal only on the move right after an enemy pawn advances two squares. The conditions, notation, FEN field and repetition rule.GlossaryFEN in Chess: Forsyth-Edwards Notation Field by FieldFEN, Forsyth-Edwards Notation, records a chess position in one line. The six fields explained with the standard starting position and an example after 1.e4.GlossaryMate Problem in Chess: Mate in N, Helpmates and SelfmatesA mate problem is a composed chess position with a task: force checkmate in a set number of moves. Mate in N, helpmates, selfmates, cooks and records.GlossaryOpening Book in Chess: What It Is and How Programs Use ItAn opening book in computer chess is a stored tree of opening positions a program looks up before it searches. Meaning, formats, history and trade-offs.GlossaryPolyGlot Book: The BIN Opening Book Format ExplainedA PolyGlot book is an opening book in the BIN format used by chess engines: who made PolyGlot, what an entry stores and how it relates to CTG and ABK books.GlossarySwiss System in Chess: How Pairings and Rounds WorkThe Swiss system pairs players of similar score without elimination and without repeat opponents. History from Zurich 1895, pairing methods, tiebreaks and byes.GlossaryTablebase in Chess: Endgame Databases, Syzygy and NalimovA tablebase is a database of solved chess endgames. How Nalimov and Syzygy tablebases work, what DTM and DTZ mean, and how much disk space the full sets need.GlossaryUnicode Chess Symbols: Code Points, Names and Emoji PawnUnicode chess symbols: the twelve pieces at U+2654 to U+265F, their HTML entities, the emoji pawn, the extra symbol block and figurine notation in text.GlossaryXiangqi (Chinese Chess): Board, Pieces and RulesXiangqi, or Chinese chess: the nine-by-ten board, the palace and river, the sixteen pieces per side, the flying general rule and how stalemate is scored.

Questions

How many terms does the chess glossary cover?

Twelve. They are BAP scoring, correspondence play, the dedicated chess computer, draw by agreement, FEN, the mate problem, the opening book, the PolyGlot book, the Swiss system, the tablebase, the Unicode chess symbols and xiangqi. Each has its own page with a definition, an explanation and sources.

Which entries are about computer chess?

The dedicated chess computer, the opening book, the PolyGlot book, the tablebase and FEN all belong to the machine side of the game. The computer chess page places them in a longer story.

Which entries explain how tournaments and games are decided?

Swiss system covers how pairings are made when there are too many players for a round robin, draw by agreement covers how a game ends by consent, and BAP scoring describes a points scheme used in some events.

Does the glossary cover other forms of chess?

Yes. Xiangqi is the Chinese relative of chess, the mate problem is the composed puzzle form, and correspondence play describes games played over days or weeks, the subject of the correspondence chess page.