🔤 10 chess words every kid should know

Chess has its own language. Here are the ten words you'll hear most, explained in plain words.

Check
The king is being attacked. The player must get out of check on their next move.
Checkmate
The king is in check and there's no way out. The game is over. It comes from Persian words meaning "the king is helpless".
Stalemate
The player to move has no legal move, but their king is not in check. The game is a draw.
Castling
A special move: the king moves two squares toward a rook, and the rook jumps over to the other side of the king.
Promotion
A pawn that reaches the far side becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight. Usually a queen.
En passant
French for "in passing": a pawn that moves two squares past an enemy pawn can be captured as if it had moved one.
Fork
One piece attacks two at once. Knights are famous for forks.
Pin
A piece can't move without uncovering something more valuable behind it.
Gambit
Giving up a pawn (or more) early on to get a faster start, like the Queen's Gambit.
OpeningOurs
The first moves of a game, and the named sequences players learn. Peabody has twenty.

Peabody's own list of the words beginners meet first. Checked 6 November 2026.

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