Chess Dictionary — S
Chess terms starting with "S" from Chesswick's plain-language glossary.
Terms starting with S (13)
- Sacrifice Intermediate
- A sacrifice is the intentional surrender of material, such as a pawn or piece, to obtain a compensating advantage like a stronger attack or lasting positional gain.
- Sandbagging Intermediate
- Sandbagging is deliberately losing games to lower your rating and enter weaker sections for an easier path to prizes.
- Seventh Rank Intermediate
- The seventh rank (rank 7 for White, rank 2 for Black) is where the opponent’s pawns begin the game, and a rook or queen posted there usually attacks those pawns from behind while restricting the enemy king.
- Skewer Beginner
- A skewer is a tactic in which an attacker forces a more valuable enemy piece to move along a shared rank, file, or diagonal, thereby exposing a less valuable piece behind it to capture.
- Skittles Beginner
- Skittles are casual, unrated chess games played for enjoyment and practice, usually in a club’s separate room or corner where players relax, chat, experiment, and review moves together after serious play.
- Smurf Intermediate
- A smurf is a strong player who creates a new low-rated account to face much weaker opponents, typically for easy wins or low-pressure practice.
- Soviet School Intermediate
- Definition awaiting review.
- Stalemate Beginner
- Stalemate is a position where the player to move has no legal moves yet is not in check, so the game ends in a draw.
- Stalemate Trick Intermediate
- A stalemate trick is a tactical sequence in which a player forces the opponent into a position with no legal moves while the king is not in check, converting a likely loss into a draw.
- Swashbuckling Intermediate
- Swashbuckling denotes a bold attacking style that willingly accepts material deficits or structural damage to gain rapid development, open lines, and lasting pressure against the opponent.
- Swindle Intermediate
- A swindle is a tactical resource that lets a player in a lost position force a draw or win by exploiting the opponent’s relaxation and resulting oversight.
- Swindling Chances Intermediate
- Swindling chances are the tactical or psychological resources that let a player in a lost position provoke mistakes and salvage a draw or win.