Apostles Chess Club
Session Three
Chess Piece Symbols
The symbols
shown above are the ones most used when
showing chess pieces in print or on the internet.
Check and Checkmate
When a player’s king is under attack he is in check.
If one of your men moves and places the opponent’s
king in danger, then you must say “Check”.
Your opponent must save his king. His options are:
-Capture the piece that is attacking his king
-Move one of his pieces to block the attack
-Move his king out of danger
-If the king cannot be saved then you say “Checkmate”
instead of check.
Discovered Check This occurs when you move a
piece that was blocking the attack of another of your
pieces. When you move your piece, the attack on the
king is opened. As you move you should say,
“Discovered Check.”
Double Check This occurs when two of your pieces
attack your opponent’s king at the same time. You
must say, “Double Check” as you move.
There are
endless ways
to put your
opponent’s
king in check.
Here the
black bishop
has placed
the white king
in check. As
a matter of
fact, after
white moves
his king, the
bishop will
capture
white’s
queen.
Here the
black knight
on f-8 has
white’s king in
check. White
could take the
knight with his
rook on g-8,
but the black
king would
then capture
it. If black
moves his
king, then he
has black in
discovered
check.
White’s
knight has just
placed the
black king in
checkmate.
Black cannot
capture the
white knight,
nor can he
block the
attack or
move the king
out of the
way.
Neither
king is in
check.
What
pieces
could be
moved to
place
either king
in check?
White is
about to
place Black
in double
check.
White has
several
options
here, but
will
probably
end up
taking
Black’s
rook.
White can put
Black in
checkmate.
White’s king
is on H-2. When
Black moves his
knight on E-5,
his attack on
White’s king by
his bishop will
open up. Black
can move his
knight to either
D-3 or F-3 and
after White
moves his king
or blocks the
check, Black
can capture
White’s rook on
E-1.
When White
moves his
knight on D-5,
he will open
up discovered
check on
Black’s king.
If White
moves his
knight to
either E-7 or
F-6, he has
discovered
double check.
Chess Problems A common feature of chess is
to figure out what the next move should be. In
these two examples, White can place Black in
checkmate in just one move.
White wins in
one move.
Draws
A draw in chess means there is no winner. A drawn
chess game occurs for different reasons.
Repetition Rule If both players make exactly the same moves
three times in a row, the players may agree to end the game in
a draw.
Insufficient Material If both players don’t have the necessary
pieces left on the board to win, the game is a draw.
Stalemate A player can only move his king either because it is
his only piece left on the board or his other pieces are blocked.
His king is not in check, but any square the king moves to will
place the king in check. This is called a stalemate and makes
the game end in a draw.
Fifty Move Rule If the last 50 moves (both players combined)
have not captured a piece or moved a pawn, then the game
may be declared a draw.
Player Agreement A draw may occur at any time if both
players agree to it.
White
achieves a
draw
through the
Repetition
Rule.
Otherwise
he loses
his queen.
This game ends in a draw due to insufficient material.
In both examples a stalemate has occurred
making both games end in a draw.