A mistake makes your position worse, while a blunder is usually a much more serious error that can lose material, the position, or even the game.

A zugzwang happens when a player would prefer to pass, but must move—and that required move makes their position worse.

Stalemate happens when the player to move has no legal move but their king is not in check. The result is a draw.

Yes, a pawn can become a queen through promotion, but a queen is not the only piece a pawn can become.

En passant is a special pawn capture that can happen immediately after an opponent advances a pawn two squares from its starting position.

A discovered check reveals an attack from another piece, while a double check means the king is attacked by two pieces at the same time.

A discovered check happens when one piece moves away and reveals another piece’s attack on the opponent’s king.

A rook check can sometimes be blocked when there are squares between the rook and the king. Learn how to spot the blocking opportunity.

A bishop check can sometimes be blocked, but only when there is at least one square between the bishop and the king.

A king can capture a checking piece only if the destination square is not attacked by another enemy piece.