Explore All Chess Patterns by Theme

All Patterns Are Included In:

Types of Opening

King's Pawn Opening

The King's Pawn Opening begins with 1.e4, aiming to control the center and free the queen and bishop.

Queen's Pawn Opening

Opening where White starts with 1.d4, usually aiming for positional play and central control.

Flank Opening

A flank opening is a chess opening used by White that is characterized by moves focusing on one or both sides of the board rather than the center.

Irregular Opening

An irregular opening is an unusual or unorthodox chess opening not commonly played.

Types of Groupings

Pawn Islands

A Pawn Island is a group of pawns separated from other pawn groups by files with no friendly pawns.

Queenside Pawn Majority

You have a Queenside Pawn Majority when you have more pawns on the queenside than your opponent.

Kingside Pawn Majority

You have a Kingside Pawn Majority when you have more pawns on the kingside than your opponent.

Pawn Chain Pointing to the Queenside

A diagonal formation of connected pawns extending from the kingside towards the queenside.

Pawn Chain Pointing to the Kingside

A diagonal formation of connected pawns extending from the queenside towards the kingside.

Types of Pawns

Backward Pawn

A backward pawn is behind adjacent pawns and cannot advance without being captured.

Non-Isolated Doubled Pawns

Non-Isolated Doubled Pawns are two same-color pawns on the same file, supported by adjacent pawns.

Isolated Doubled Pawns

Isolated Doubled Pawns are two same-color pawns on the same file, not supported by adjacent pawns.

Isolated Pawn

An isolated pawn has no friendly pawns on adjacent files, making it a potential weakness or strength depending on the position.

Hanging Pawns

A pair of side-by-side pawns without adjacent support, which can be a weakness or a dynamic advantage.

Wedge Pawn

A Wedge Pawn is a pawn advanced to the sixth rank, exerting pressure and restricting opponent's movement.

Poisoned Pawn

A seemingly free pawn that, when captured, leads to a disadvantage for the captor.

Types of Passed Pawns

Isolated Passed Pawn

A pawn with no friendly pawns on adjacent files and no enemy pawns ahead on the same or adjacent files.

Advanced Passed Pawn

A near-promotion pawn with no opposing pawns to prevent it from advancing.

Outside Passed Pawn

A passed pawn located at the board's edge, drawing opponent's pieces away from key areas.

Protected Passed Pawn

A passed pawn that is supported by another pawn.

Connected Passed Pawns

Two or more passed pawns on adjacent files that support each other, increasing their promotion chances.

Split Passed Pawns

Two passed pawns separated by one or more files with no opposing pawns between them.

Rook's Pawn

A pawn on the a-file or h-file. It can offer unique drawing opportunities in endgames.

Knight's Pawn

A Pawn on the b- or g-file. It can offer unique endgame advantages or present promotion challenges near the board's edge.

Bishop's Pawn

A Pawn on the c-file or f-file. It can offer unique drawing chances in endgames, unlike other pawns.

Types Of Endgame

Winnable Pieces-Only Endgame

A pawnless endgame where one side has a clear advantage and can force a win against best defense.

Winnable Pieces and Pawns Endgame

An endgame with both pieces and pawns where one side has a clear advantage and can force a win against best defense.

Winnable Pawn Endgame

A winnable pawn endgame occurs when only kings and pawns remain, and one side has a clear advantage to force a win.

Drawable Pieces-Only Endgame

A pawnless endgame where precise play can secure a draw, even despite material disadvantage.

Drawable Pieces and Pawns Endgame

An endgame with Pieces and Pawns where accurate defense can secure a draw, even despite material disadvantage.

Drawable Pawn Endgame

A drawable pawn endgame is a king and pawn endgame where accurate defense can hold a draw.

Control of Center

Strong Pawn Center

Two or more pawns controlling central squares (e4, d4, e5, d5), supporting each other and restricting the opponent's pieces.

Closed Center

A Closed Center occurs when central pawns are locked, creating a barrier that leads to slower, positional play.

Open Center

An Open Center occurs when there are few or no pawns blocking the central squares (d4, d5, e4, e5).

Center Occupied by Pieces

A center occupied by pieces occurs when central squares are held by pieces instead of pawns, enhancing control and mobility.

Center Controlled Indirectly

A center is Controlled Indirectly, when the pieces exert influence over the central squares without physically occupying them.

Control of Space

Queenside Space Advantage

A Queenside Space Advantage occurs when your queenside pawns are more advanced than your opponent's, offering greater maneuvering room.

Central Space Advantage

A Central Space Advantage occurs when your central pawns are more advanced than your opponent's, offering greater maneuverability and control.

Kingside Space Advantage

A Kingside Space Advantage occurs when your kingside pawns are more advanced than your opponent's, offering greater maneuvering room.

Control of Squares

Weak Squares

Squares that cannot be defended by pawns and are vulnerable to occupation by enemy pieces.

Control of Color Complex

Dominating most squares of a particular color to limit opponent mobility and gain positional advantage.

Control of Key Square

A Key Square is a critical square that, when controlled or occupied, provides strategic and tactical advantages.

Outpost

A square in enemy territory, protected by a pawn, where a piece, often a knight, cannot be attacked by opposing pawns.

Pawn Blockade

Placing a piece directly in front of an opponent's pawn to prevent it from advancing.

Control of Promotion Square

Control of a Promotion Square means your pieces control the square where a pawn can promote.

Control of Lines

Control of Half-Open File

Controlling a half-open file involves placing rooks or queen on a file with only opponent's pawns to apply pressure and restrict movement.

Control of Open File

Control of an Open File is when a Rook or Queen occupies a file with no pawns, restricting the opponent's movement.

Control of Key Rank

Controlling a key rank means using your Rook or Queen to dominate an important row on the board.

Control of Key Diagonal

Control of a key diagonal occurs when your bishop or queen dominates an important diagonal, restricting opponent movement and supporting attacks.

Differences in Material

Material Advantage

Having more valuable pieces on the board than your opponent means you have a material advantage.

Minor Piece vs. Pawn(s)

A material imbalance where a minor piece faces one or more pawns, often favoring the piece due to its mobility.

Rook vs. Minor Piece (and Pawns)

A material imbalance where a rook is traded for a minor piece, impacting play dynamics.

Rook vs. Two Minor Pieces

A material imbalance where a rook is traded for two minor pieces, impacting play dynamics.

Queen vs. Rook and Minor Piece

A material imbalance where a queen is traded for a rook and a minor piece, impacting play dynamics.

Queen vs. Three Minor Pieces

A material imbalance where a queen is traded for three minor pieces, impacting play dynamics.

Queen vs. Two Rooks

A material imbalance where a Queen faces two Rooks of roughly equal value.

Condition of Knights and Bishops

Strong Knight

A Strong Knight controls key squares, serves critical functions, and is well-supported.

Problematic Knight

A Problematic Knight is a poorly positioned knight with limited mobility and coordination, offering minimal strategic value.

Superior Knight vs. Inferior Bishop

A Superior Knight vs. Inferior Bishop Imbalance occurs when piece exchanges leave you with a Knight that is more effective than the opponent's Bishop.

Strong Bishop

A strong bishop is a bishop that controls key squares, is mobile, and coordinates well with other pieces.

Problematic Bishop

A Problematic Bishop is obstructed by its own pawns, lacks mobility, and contributes little to attack or defense.

Superior Bishop vs. Inferior Knight

A Superior Bishop vs. Inferior Knight Imbalance occurs when piece exchanges leave you with a Bishop that is more effective than the opponent's Knight.

Bishop Pair

You have a Bishop Pair Advantage when, in an open or semi-open position, you have both Bishops while the opponent has either one or no Bishops.

Bishops of Opposite Color

A position where each player has a bishop operating on different colored squares, often leading to drawish endgames.

Bishops of Same Color

When players have one Bishop each, and these Bishops move on the same colored squares, we have a Bishops of Same Color Imbalance.

Condition of Rooks and Queens

Strong Rook

A strong rook controls key files or ranks, has high mobility, coordinates with other pieces, and is securely placed deep in the opponent's camp.

Problematic Rook

A problematic rook lacks mobility, is poorly positioned, or contributes little to attack or defense.

Rook on the Seventh Rank

A rook on the 7th (or 2nd) rank attacks pawns, controls key squares, and restricts enemy pieces.

Connected Rooks

Two rooks on the same rank or file with no pieces between them, supporting each other.

Non Connected Rooks

Two Rooks separated by other pieces or not on the same rank or file.

Rook Behind Passed Pawn

A rook placed behind a passed pawn to support its advance or hinder an opponent's pawn.

Strong Queen

A Strong Queen controls key squares, has good mobility, coordinates well, and is placed on a strong support point.

Problematic Queen

A Problematic Queen lacks mobility, is poorly positioned, or contributes little to attack or defense.

Condition of Kings

Strong King

An active and well-positioned King, especially in the endgame, supporting pawns and controlling key squares.

King Not Yet Castled

A King Not Yet Castled is a King that is still in the center and thus is more vulnerable to attacks by the opponent's pieces.

Kings Castled on Opposite Sides

In chess, opposite-side castling occurs when one player castles kingside and the other queenside.

King with a Weak Cover

A King with a Weak Cover lacks sufficient pawn protection, exposing it to potential threats.

Development and Initiative

Lead in Development

A Lead in Development occurs when your pieces are more efficiently activated than your opponent's, controlling key squares and exerting pressure.

Attack on the Queenside

Conducting an Attack on the Queenside means actively using your pieces to create threats on the a-, b-, and c- file.

Attack in the Center

Conducting an Attack in the Center means actively using your pieces to create threats on the c-, d-, e-, and f- files.

Attack on the Kingside

Conducting an Attack on the Kingside means actively using your pieces to create threats on the f-, g-, and h- files.

Signals and Clues

Problematic King

A Problematic King is exposed to attack or lacks sufficient defense, leading to tactical opportunities.

Pieces with Weak Protection

A Piece with Weak Protection is a piece that is either completely undefended or that lacks sufficient support, signaling tactical opportunities.

Problematic Defenders

A piece too distant or overburdened to defend effectively, often leading to tactical opportunities.

Pieces with Few Escape Squares

A piece with limited mobility and vulnerability due to a lack of safe squares for movement, signaling tactical opportunities.

Promising Alignments

Promising Alignment occurs when your pieces are advantageously lined up with opponent's pieces or key squares, signaling tactical opportunities.

Promising Knight Squares

You have Promising Knight Squares when the landing squares of your Knight allow it to fork your opponent's pieces or other important squares.

Tactical Patterns | One-Line Tactics

A pin is a tactic where a piece can't move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it.

Skewer

A skewer is a tactic where a more valuable piece is attacked, exposing a lesser piece behind it to capture.

X-Ray Attack and Defense

A tactic where a piece attacks or defends through another piece on the same line.

Battery

A Battery is a formation where two or more long-range pieces are aligned, and work together to create a powerful threat.

Alekhine's Gun

A formation with two rooks and a queen aligned on the same file, creating a powerful attacking force.

Hook and Ladder

A tactic where a rook is lured away, leaving the queen vulnerable to capture.

Discovered Attack

A tactic where moving one piece reveals an attack by another, creating a powerful and unexpected threat.

Discovered Check

A tactic where moving one piece reveals a check by another piece behind it.

Double Check

A tactic where the king is checked by two pieces simultaneously, forcing it to move.

Windmill

A windmill is a tactic involving alternating checks and captures, often using a rook and bishop.

Interference

Placing a piece to disrupt the coordination between two enemy pieces.

Tactical Patterns | One-Idea Tactics

Double Attack

A tactic where a single move creates two threats simultaneously.

Fork

A Fork is a tactic where a single piece attacks multiple opponent pieces simultaneously, often leading to material gain.

Capture the Defender

Capture the Defender is a chess tactic in which you remove a piece that is defending an important square or piece.

Deflection

A tactic that forces an opposing piece to leave its square, exposing the king or a valuable piece.

Decoy

A tactic where a piece is lured into a specific square to be attacked.

Clearance

A tactic where a square, rank, file, or diagonal is vacated to open a line of attack.

Intermezzo

A tactic where an unexpected move is inserted into a seemingly forced sequence, disrupting the opponent's plan.

Gain of a Tempo

A Gain of a Tempo occurs when a move forces the opponent to respond, granting an extra move without loss.

Underpromotion

Underpromotion is promoting a pawn to a piece other than a queen, like a knight, rook, or bishop.

Tactical Patterns | Sacrifices

Pawn Sacrifice

A Pawn Sacrifice is a deliberate move where you offer a pawn to gain positional or tactical advantage.

Knight Sacrifice

A Knight Sacrifice is a deliberate move where you offer a Knight to gain positional or tactical advantage.

Bishop Sacrifice

A Bishop Sacrifice is a deliberate move where you offer a Bishop to gain positional or tactical advantage.

Rook Sacrifice

A Rook Sacrifice is a deliberate move where you offer a Rook to gain positional or tactical advantage.

Queen Sacrifice

A Queen Sacrifice is a deliberate move where you offer a Queen to gain positional or tactical advantage.

Exchange Sacrifice

Deliberately sacrificing a rook for a minor piece to gain positional or tactical advantage.

Desperado

A piece about to be captured that creates a favorable situation with an aggressive last move.

Greek Gift

A bishop sacrifice on h7 (or h2) to attack the opponent's castled king.

Pawn Techniques

Noah's Ark

A tactical maneuver to trap an opponent's bishop by advancing pawns to restrict its mobility.

Pawn Break

A move in which a pawn advances to a square where it can be captured by an enemy pawn, typically to open lines, gain space, or control important squares.

Pawn Storm

An aggressive strategy where a player advances multiple pawns on one side to pressure the opponent's castled king.

Minority Attack

A Minority Attack is a strategy where a player advances fewer pawns (usually two) against more of the opponent’s pawns (usually three).

Pawn Breakthrough

A tactic where pawns are advanced and sacrificed to open a path in the opponent's position.

Pawn Race

A Pawn Race occurs when both players advance their pawns rapidly to promote one to a Queen first.

Reserve Tempi

Spare pawn moves used to wait and force the opponent into a less favorable position.

Knight and Bishop Techniques

Fianchetto

A fianchetto develops a bishop on the long diagonal by moving the b/g-pawn and developing the bishop behind it.

Knight Maneuver

A strategic sequence where a Knight is repositioned to a more advantageous square, often via a circuitous path.

Mating Net

A chess technique where pieces create a net of threats around the opponent's King, leading to inevitable checkmate.

Principle of One Diagonal

Controlling a long diagonal with a Bishop is often more effective than controlling two shorter diagonals.

Centurini Position

A same-colored bishops endgame where the side with an advanced pawn can win despite defensive attempts.

Knight and Bishop W-Maneuver

Technique to checkmate a lone king using a bishop and knight.

Rook and Queen Techniques

Rook Lift

A Rook Lift is a chess maneuver where a Rook is moved vertically up the board to become more active.

Rook Swing

A Rook Swing is a maneuver where a Rook moves horizontally to a more advantageous position on the opposite side.

Philidor Position

A fundamental drawing position in rook vs. rook and pawn endgames, where the defending rook cuts off the opposing king.

Vancura Position

A fundamental drawing position in Rook vs. Rook and Rook's pawn endgames.

Lucena Position

A key rook and pawn vs. rook endgame where the attacking side builds a bridge to promote the pawn.

Saavedra Position

A rare pawn vs. rook endgame where the pawn side outmaneuvers the rook with an underpromotion.

King Techniques

Luft

A pawn move creating an escape square for the king to prevent back rank mate.

Key Squares in Front of Pawn

In King and pawn vs. King endgames, the three squares in front of the pawn, two ranks ahead of it.

Opposition

Opposition is when kings face each other with one square between, forcing the player to move to yield ground.

Triangulation

Triangulation is a technique used to "lose a move" by making a triangular path with the King.

Outflanking

Endgame technique where one King moves laterally to outflank the opposing King, creating separation and enabling advancement.

Shouldering

Shouldering is an endgame technique where a King blocks the opposing King from key squares.

King Inside the Square

The Square of the Pawn is the area from the pawn’s position to its promotion square. If the defending king can enter this square, it can stop the pawn from promoting.

Reti's Maneuver

Endgame technique where a king uses diagonal and lateral moves to pursue two goals simultaneously.

Corresponding Squares

An endgame concept where specific squares are linked, requiring kings to occupy corresponding squares to maintain balance.

Zugzwang

Zugzwang is when any move a player makes will worsen their position.

Umbrella Technique

An endgame strategy that uses a pawn as a shield to protect the king from rook checks.

Fortress

A defensive setup where the weaker side creates an impenetrable position that the stronger side cannot break through.

Stalemate

A stalemate occurs when the player to move has no legal moves and their king is not in check, resulting in a draw.

Perpetual Check

A situation where one player can continuously check the opponent's king, forcing a draw.

Threefold Repetition of the Position

A chess rule allowing a draw claim if the same position occurs three times with the same player to move.

Checkmate Patterns | Mates in the Opening

Fool's Mate

The fastest checkmate in chess, occurring after just two moves due to poor opening play.

Scholar's Mate

A four-move checkmate using queen and bishop to attack f7 or f2, common in beginner games.

Legal's Mate

A mating pattern where a pinned knight captures, leading to a queen sacrifice and checkmate with minor pieces.

Checkmate Patterns | Mates by the Touch of a Minor Piece

Pawn Mate

A mating pattern where a pawn, supported by another piece, delivers mate to a king confined by its own pieces.

Smothered Mate

A checkmate by a knight where the king is trapped by its own pieces.

Corner Mate

A checkmate where the enemy King is trapped in a corner.

Double Knight Mate

A checkmate pattern where two knights coordinate to trap the king, often near the corner or blocked by its own pieces.

Reti's Mate

A checkmate using a bishop supported by a rook, trapping the king with limited mobility.

Blackburne's Mate

A checkmate using a knight and two bishops to trap a castled king.

Checkmate Patterns | Mates by the Touch of a Rook

Arabian Mate

A checkmate where a knight and rook trap the opposing king in a corner.

Killbox Mate

A checkmate pattern where a Queen and Rook trap the enemy King in a 3x3 box.

Blind Swine Mate

A checkmate pattern where two rooks on the 7th rank trap the king, with one rook delivering mate while protected by the other.

Mayet's Mate

A checkmate where a rook, supported by a bishop, mates the king on the back rank, with escape squares blocked by its own pieces.

Opera Mate

A bishop and rook coordinate to checkmate a king trapped on the back rank by its own pieces.

Anderssen's Mate

A checkmate where a rook, supported by a pawn, delivers mate to a king on the back rank.

Vukovic's Mate

A checkmate with a protected rook delivering mate on the board's edge, while a knight covers the king's escape squares.

Hook Mate

A mating pattern where a rook and knight combine to checkmate an exposed king, often aided by the opponent's own pieces.

Checkmate Patterns | Mates by the Touch of a Queen

Triangle Mate

A checkmate pattern involving a Queen that creates a shape on the board that resembles a triangle.

Swallow's Tail Mate

A mating pattern where the king is trapped between two friendly pieces, resembling a swallow's tail.

Dovetail Mate

A checkmate where the king is trapped between two of its own pieces, resembling a dove's tail.

Kiss of Death Mate

A checkmate where the queen delivers mate from a square adjacent to the opposing king, resembling a "kiss."

Damiano's Mate

A classic checkmate where a queen, supported by a pawn, mates a castled king blocked by its own pieces.

Lolli's Mate

A queen and pawn coordinate to checkmate a castled king by infiltrating the fianchetto position.

Max Lange's Mate

A mating pattern in which a Queen and Bishop coordinate to checkmate a castled King by exploiting weakened pawn cover.