Questions about the particular terminology used in chess
7
votes
3answers
176 views
What is a tabiya and what is their importance?
I've heard the term Tabiya used online though I've never really run into it in any chess book I've read. I have an idea of what the term means but I'm not sure I'm correct, so first I'll say what I ...
4
votes
3answers
105 views
What's the difference between “White is winning” and “White is better”?
Many times in literature there are statements like "White/Black is winning" or "White/Black is better". How does one differentiate between the two? How could it be possible for White to be better and ...
4
votes
3answers
173 views
What common patterns should I look for in chess?
When I started learning, I had lots of games that lost big material because not being familiarized with these sneaky attacks, I am talking about these:
There are many more (two minor pieces being ...
5
votes
1answer
151 views
When was the term 'Super Grandmaster' first used?
According to the following wiki link,
The unofficial title, "Super Grandmaster", is often used by players to refer to those with a 2700+ rating to distinguish the most serious world champion ...
6
votes
1answer
111 views
Did any authors ever try to adopt Hans Kmoch's pawn structure terminology?
In response to an earlier question, I mentioned the 1959 book Pawn Power in Chess by IM Hans Kmoch. One of the book's most well-known aspects it that it introduced a glut of less-than-useful ...
8
votes
1answer
233 views
What are the origins of the words 'zwischenzug' and 'zugzwang'?
I've heard chess analysts use the words Zugzwang (being forced to make a bad move) and Zwischenzug (making an intermediate move which improves the outcome of the next move) in commentary.
Does anyone ...
5
votes
1answer
98 views
Does Boris Gelfand share his surname with a chess piece?
Boris Gelfand was just narrowly edged out by Anand in their match's rapid tiebreaks, and I thought I'd ask an oddball question related to him.
The bishop chess piece is known by several different ...
