A Glossary of Basic Chess Variant Terms

We now have a variety of chess-variant terms that have been more or less accepted by the greater chess community. There are a number of others, however, that are still being tried and tested. Perhaps sometime within the next decade, a few dozen terms will have earned the popularity they need to merit an official lexicon. This is how new terms become a part of a common language. The only problem that I have with this process is that we could use that lexicon now! It is for this reason that I have jumped the gun, so to speak, and assembled the following terms into a modest CV glossary. These terms include...

• Those most frequently used on The Chess Variant Pages.*
• Those used by D. B. Pritchard in The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants.
• Those used by Anthony Dickens in A Guide to Fairy Chess.
• Those used by Edward R. Brace in An Illustrated Dictionary of Chess.
• Those included to facilitate definitions taken from the above sources.
• Those included to satisfy an obvious need for completion.**

It is assumed that the reader is familiar with standard 8x8 chess, as its more basic terms are not included here. Neither are the names of specific pieces, whose proper place is the Piececlopedia. The names of specific variants are also omitted, with the exception of small shogi and xiangqi, which have gained such a following that some believe that they should be included under the heading of orthochess.

Please review this page and let me know if there are any terms that you object to or any key terms that I might have overlooked. If we can agree on a basic nomenclature, we may encourage others to use it and perhaps eliminate some of the ambiguities that plague CV submissions. Please send your comments and recommendations to (email removed contact us for address) ssvariants.com.

oblique square - n. For a given piece, a square that cannot be reached by via a radial move. [e.g.: a1-c2, a1-b4, a1-c4, a1-b5.] (Compare radial square.)

opening - n. The first stage of the game commencing from home squares.

option - n. (See move option.)

orthochess. - n. The game of chess popularized during the Italian Renaissance. Orthochess is played on a 8x8 board with a King, a Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights and 8 Pawns per side. (a.k.a.: orthodox chess, FIDE chess, orthodox chess, occidental chess, traditional chess, orthodox chess.)

orthodox - adj. Describes items or concepts which apply to Orthodox Chess.

orthodox chess - n. Another name for orthochess. (Compare heterodox chess.)

orthogonal direction - n. One of the directions a piece may go while moving along the same rank or file. When ranks and files are at 90 degrees to each other, these are the vertical and horizontal directions. If a board is treated like a map face, these correspond to the north, south, east and west directions. On other types of boards, orthogonal directions are those that pass from space to space through shared sides. (Compare diagonal direction.)

orthogonally adjacent squares - n. Squares that share a common side. (Compare diagonally adjacent squares.)

overtake - v. To capture a piece by leaping over it in the manner of a checker or draughtsman.

overtaker - n. A piece that captures by leaping over an enemy piece in the manner of a checker or draughtsman.

- P -

palace - n. See citadel.

pass - v. To voluntarily forfeit one's turn.

passive leap - n. A leap that may not be performed concurrently with a capture. (Compare capture leap.)

passive move - n. A move that may not be performed concurrently with a capture. (Compare capture move.)

passive piece - n. A piece that cannot capture.

passive square - n. For a given piece, a square that may not be entered concurrently with a capture. [e.g.: The Pawn's straight-forward square.] (Compare capture square.)

pass-through square - n. For certain line pieces, a square that must be passed through in order to proceed to subsequent squares. A piece may neither stop nor capture on a pass-through square. [e.g.: The first diagonal square of the xiangqi Elephant's move.]

perimeter - n. A locus of squares lying equidistant from a departure square.

The 1st perimeter - those 8 squares adjacent to the departure square.
The 2nd perimeter - those 16 squares lying just beyond the 1st perimeter.
The 3rd perimeter - those 24 squares lying just beyond the 2nd perimeter.
The 4th perimeter - those 32 squares lying just beyond the 3rd perimeter.

piece - n. (See chess piece.)

piececlopedia - n. A CV Page describing a number of chess variant pieces. (See Piececlopedia.)

pocket piece - n. Describes a single once-per-game drop piece that is allowed in certain games.

points - n. The intersections of lines on a chess board. Some variants, such as xiangqi, require that pieces be played on the line intersections (points) rather than on the actual squares. Other more exotic variants require that pieces be played on both the points and the squares.

position - 1. n. A piece's relative location on a chess board. - 2. n. The collective locations of one's chess pieces with respect to how they confer strategic advantages or disadvantages. [e.g. usage: White has a positional advantage in this game.]

postal chess - n. Chess played by mail whereby each player posts a single move per mailing. Postal chess was popular throughout most of the 20th Century, but is now being supplanted by e-mail chess.

powers - n. The general abilities of pieces. (See move options.)

Pritchard - n. D. B. Pritchard, author of The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants and Popular Chess Variants.

progressive chess - n. A type of game wherein white moves one piece, black moves two pieces, white moves three pieces, etc., increasing the number of pieces moved by one after each player's turn. See also: Progressive Chess Page

promotable - n. A starting piece that has an option to promote upon reaching a certain rank .

promote - n. To upgrade a piece's move options upon its reaching a certain rank.

promoted piece - n. A more powerful piece that is created by promoting a starting piece. (Compare starting piece.)

promotion zone - n. A predesignated portion of a chess board that a starting piece must reach in order to receive a promotion.

properties - n. (See move options.)

proprietary game - n. A chess variant that is developed and marketed for profit. Copyrights to the artwork and printed matter of a proprietary game are the property of the inventor and/or licensing company. Although the rules to a game may never be copyrighted (nor patented), the particular wording of the rules is usually copyrighted. Furthermore, any unique mechanism included with the game may be protected by a patent.

- Q -


- R -

radial move - n. A move in either the orthogonal direction or the diagonal direction. [e.g.: The move of the Bishop, Rook or Queen.] (Compare oblique move.)

radial square - n. For a given piece, a square that can be reached by moving either orthogonally or diagonally. [e.g.: a1-a2, a1-a3, etc.; a1-b2, a1-c3, etc.; a1-b1, a1-c1, etc.] (Compare oblique square.)

range piece - n. A piece that captures by shooting rather than by displacement, overtaking or some other means. [e.g.: The pieces of rifle chess.]

range capture - (See shot.)

rank -n. A complete horizontal row of squares on a chess board. (Compare file.)

rearward diagonals - n. Figuratively, the southeast and southwest directions considered collectively. (Compare forward diagonals.)

relative value - n. The exchange value of a given piece with respect to other pieces.

reserve piece - n. An off-board piece that may be dropped onto the board to subsequently be used as one's own.

rider - n. A piece that serially repeats a single move option in the same outward direction.

river - n. On the Xiangqi board, a central horizontal space, devoid of vertical lines, which serves as a promotion rank for Pawns and a barrier for Elephants.

rotating piece - n. A heraldic piece that may rotate at the close of a move (or as a move in itself) in order to realign its move zone and capture zone by an angle of 45°. (e.g.: A Bishop rotated 45° moves as a Rook.)

row - n. (See rank.)

round chess - n. Chess played on a round board whereon the "squares" are delineated by radial lines and concentric circles.

royal piece - n. A piece that must be captured or checkmated in order to win the game.

- S -

Schmittberger - n. R. Wayne Schmittberger, author of New Rules for Classic Games.

screen - n. A single intervening piece that a hopper must leap over in order to move/capture.

see - v. To be able to reach. [e.g. usage: A Bishop can see half of the board, whereas a Dabbaba can see only one-quarter.]

sequence - n. In Progressive Chess, the series of moves that each player makes in a turn: White makes 1 move, black makes 2 moves, white makes 3 moves, and so on.

set - n. All of the pieces required to play a given game.

setup - n. (See array.)

shogi - 1. n. The most popular of Japanese chess variants, played on a 9x9 board and allowing drops. (See small shogi.) 2. n. Any chess game that allows drops. 3. n. The Japanese word for chess.

shoot - v. To capture without leaving the departure square.

shot - 1. n. A capture that is made without leaving the departure square. 2. v. The past tense of the verb shoot.

side - n. Either of the two armies competing in a chess game.

species - n. A class of all pieces having the same move options. [e.g. usage: White Knights and black Knights are of the same species.]

spherical chess - n. Chess played on a spherical board whereon the "squares" are delineated by longitude and latitude lines.

stalemate - n. A position characterized by a player's king not being threatened, while at the same time, the player is unable to make a legal move.

standard move - n. A move to a standard square. (Compare passive move, capture move.)

standard square - n. With respect to a given piece, a square that may be entered either (1) when it is vacant, or (2) when it is occupied by an enemy piece, which is captured. (Compare passive square, capture square, target square.)

standard piece - n. A piece having only standard move options. [e.g.: Knight, Bishop, Rook, Queen, King.]

starting piece - n. A piece that is a part of the initial array. (Compare promoted piece, reserve piece.)

starting square - 1. n. A home square. 2. n. A departure square.

straight-forward - n. Figuratively, the due-north direction. (Compare straight-rearward.)

straight-rearward - n. Figuratively, the due-south direction. (Compare straight-forward.)

- T -

take - v. Another word for capture.

target square - n. A square within the capture zone of a range piece.
threatened adj. With respect to the player who is moving, a space is threatened if moving a piece there would allow an enemy piece to capture it, or, if it is a royal piece, expose it to check.

3-D board - n. An arrangement of 2-D boards used for playing 3-D chess. Typically, a number of 2-D boards are stacked vertically, with sufficient space between them to set up and manipulate the pieces. Some players, however, prefer the 2-D boards to be laid out on a flat surface--especially if the game is quite small.

3-D chess (three-dimensional chess) - n. A chess variant played on a 3-D board with pieces having additional powers that allow them to move three-dimensionally. (e.g., Raumschach.)

3-D diagonal - n. In 3-D chess, two or more cells, joined serially at their further-most corners. (e.g., the path from Aa1 to Ee5 in Raumschach.)

trade - v. Another word for exchange.

transport - v. To move a piece to a position outside its normal move zone by utilizing a special rule.

two move rule - n. A rule variation that allows each player to move two pieces per turn in the opening stage of the game, in order to facilitate initial development. A player loses his two-piece privilege upon capturing.

2-D board - n. An ordinary two-dimensional chess board, as opposed to a 3-D board. (e.g., the orthochess board.)

- U -

unit - n. Another word for a chess piece.

orthodox chess - n. Another name for orthochess.

- V -

values - n. (See relative values.)

variant - n. (See chess variant.)

vertical direction - n. Figuratively, the north and south directions considered collectively. (Compare horizontal direction.)

- W -

Wazir - n. (Arabic for vizier) An elemental piece. Moves to an orthogonally adjacent square.

wraparound - n. A rule variation that allows pieces to exit the board on one side (or end) and re-enter the board on the opposite side (or end), in a continuous move, as though the board were rolled into a cylinder. (See cylindrical chess.)

- X -

X-Y leaper - n. (see leaper).

xiangqi - n. The worlds most popular chess variant, originating in China. (See xiangqi.)

- Y -

Yahoo! chessvariants club - n. A news-posting and chat utility for CVPhiles. (See Yahoo! club.)

- Z -

Zebra - n. An elemental piece. A 3-2 leaper.

Zillions of Games - n. A generic game-playing engine that is popular with CVPhiles. (See Zillions of Games.)