A B C D E F G-H I-L M-N O P Q-R S T U-Z

Passed Pawn: A pawn that has passed by all enemy pawns capable of capturing it.

In the diagram, White has connected passed pawns on g5 and h6. Black has a passed pawn on a7 and a protected passed pawn on e4.

Passive: An inactive move that does nothing to fight for the initiative. A passive position is a position without counterplay or active possibilities.

Patzer: A derogatory term that denotes a hopelessly weak player.

Pawn Center: Pawns placed in the center. White pawns on f4, e4 and d4, for example, would constitute a large pawn center. A common opening that allows White to build such a center in the hope of attacking it later is 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4, etc.

Pawn Chain: Two or more like-colored pawns linked diagonally. The weakest point of a pawn chain is the base because that is the one pawn in the chain that cannot be defended by another pawn.

Pawn Island: a group of connected friendly pawns. In the diagram Black has three pawn islands to "White's" two. It is usually considered to be advantageous to have fewer pawn islands than the opponent.

Two pawn islands to Black's three

Pawn Skeleton: See Pawn Structure.

Pawn Structure: The positioning of the whole pawn mass. Also referred to as the pawn skeleton. This positioning of the pawns is what usually dictates the types of plans available in a given position due to open files, space, pawn weaknesses, etc.

Pig: A slang for Rook. ¿Pigs on the seventhî is a common term for rooks doubled on the seventh rank. Also known as ¿Hogs on the seventh.î

Plan: A short or long-range goal on which a player bases his moves.

Point Count: A system of figuring out the worth of the pieces by giving each of them a numerical value. King--priceless; Queen--9 points; Rook--5 points; Bishop--3 points; Knight--3 points; pawn--1 point. The flaw in the system is that it does not take into account other factors (such as position, tactics, etc.) that often drastically change the relative value of an individual piece.

Poisoned Pawn: Any pawn that, if captured, would lead to serious disadvantage is considered to be poisoned.

Positional: A move, a maneuver or a style of play that is based on an exploitation of small advantages.

Post Mortem: A Latin term borrowed from medicine that literally means, ¿after death.î It refers to the sessions that often take place after a tournament game has finished. Both players discuss the game and attempt to find the reason why someone lost--the ¿cause of death.î In particular, those with huge or delicate egos love post mortems because they can show that they saw much more than the opponent (if they lost, they can prove, at least in their own mind, that the opponent was lucky to gain the victory). For those of a more open nature, if you had played a stronger opponent than yourself, you can sit back, ask what you did wrong and hope that the mysteries of the universe will unfold.

Premature: A hasty move, maneuver or plan. To take action without sufficient preparation.

Prepared Variation: A deeply researched opening variation that is often strengthened by new moves. It is a common practice to prepare certain liens and new moves for particular opponents, refusing to use it against anyone other than its intended victim.

Problem Child: A reference to a Queen°s Bishop that is trapped behind its pawns. For example, the French Defense (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5) is an attractive opening. Its one flaw is the Queen°s Bishop, which is blocked by its own pawns and unable to reach an active square.

Prophylactic Move: See Prophylaxis.

Prophylaxis: A strategy explored by Nimzovich. Taken from the Greek word prophylaktikos, meaning to guard or prevent beforehand, prophylaxis (or a prophylactic move) stops the opponent from taking action in a certain area for fear of some type of reprisal. Overprotection is a form of prophylaxis.

Promotion: Also called ¿Queening.î When a pawn reaches the final rank it becomes another piece, usually a Queen. However, the pawn can be promoted to anything other than a pawn or a King.

Protected Passed Pawn: A passed pawn that is protected by a friendly pawn. See Passed Pawn.

A B C D E F G-H I-L M-N O P Q-R S T U-Z