combination- a series of moves resulting in an improvement in one's chess position.  "That was a nice combination."

development- moving your pieces off their original squares so that they can take part in the battle "He lost the game because he didn't develop his pieces."

draw- a tie, occurs when neither of the two players have enough soldiers left to win or they both agree to it.  See stalemate.  "We agreed to a draw."

drawish- when a position is uncomplicated or boring, or offers no hope for victory it is said to be drawish.

endgame- the final stage of the game; occurs when most of the pieces have been traded off

good and bad bishops- a good bishop can move with ease across the chess board, while a bad bishop is locked behind a wall of pawns "I lost because of my bad bishop."

intuition- playing moves based on what you "feel" is the right move, rather than calculating complex variations "Her intuition proved to be flawless."

inaccuracy- a move that is not perfect  "I won, but I could have played more accurately and won much sooner."

master- someone who has grasped the fundamental concepts of chess and plays gracefully and with inspiration.  "I was honored to be defeated by the master."

material- all of the soldiers in your army are considered material "She sacrificed some material to weaken the position of my king."

middle game-  the second phase of a chess game; occurs when all of the pieces have been developed and it comes time to form a battle plan "I got through the opening all right, but I couldn't figure out what to do in the middle game."

mobility- pieces can move easily around the chess board and are not locked in behind pawns and other pieces "Her pieces had good mobility."

novelty-a move in the opening that has never been played before "I was not prepared for her opening novelty."

opening- the beginning moves of a chess game which try and get the soldiers into strategic positions "He played the opening like a madman."

position- the location of your pieces on the chess board.  "He had a nice position." An open position is one in which there is a lot of open space on the board.  A closed position is usually filled with pieces.

positional play-  improving the position of your pieces rather than seeking complex variations "Steinitz was known for his positional play."

positional advantage- your pieces are better placed than your opponents "After many hours of quiet maneuvering, at last I had a positional advantage."

prophylaxis- playing moves only with the idea of ruining your opponents plans "Any time I tried to think of something to play, I was rebuked by her amazing prophylaxis.

sacrifice- giving up one of your soldiers, usually for an attack "That was a beautiful queen sacrifice you played!"

square- one of the 64 spots on the chess board.  A strong or a weak square is usually a key post on the chess battlefield.  If it is strong it means your pieces have control over it and can be used as a jumping off point to break into the enemy's position.   If the square is weak, it is a vulnerable point in your own position.  "She suddenly took control of the key center square."

stalemate- if your king is not under attack, and the only possible moves would be to move your king into attack, the game ends a draw.  "He was completely destroying me, but then he stalemated me."

style- the personality a player gives to her games  "She was known for her fighting style."

suspicious- a move that does not accomplish what it was intended to accomplish is said to be suspicious "I don't know, the move seemed suspicious."

tactics- Complex variations, often involving sacrificing some of your army, to acquire a noticeable advantage.  "I won the game through tactical means."

technique- playing very good moves when they are necessary; technique is very important to winning positions that are only slightly better than your opponent's.  "She played that endgame with superior technique."

understanding- knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your position and what moves are important to consider.  "He has a very good understanding of "closed" positions"

unsound- used to describe a combination that doesn't work "She punished me for my unsound combination."

weakness- a vulnerable point in your position "The weakness of her undefended pawn proved lethal."