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.