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Chess Questions

Total questions: 72

Worksheet time: 36mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is the process of going after your opponent's king or vulnerability to win the game called?

a)

Defense

b)

Checkmate

c)

Attack

d)

Stalemate

2.

What is a back rank mate in chess?

a)

A checkmate with a knight

b)

A checkmate with a pawn

c)

A checkmate when the king is trapped on the back rank

d)

A checkmate with a bishop

3.

What is a backward pawn in chess?

a)

A pawn that cannot move forward

b)

A pawn that is behind in development

c)

A pawn that is isolated

d)

A pawn that is advanced

4.

What is a pawn that has lagged behind and cannot be protected by other pawns usually considered?

a)

A strength

b)

A weakness

c)

A strategy

d)

A tactic

5.

What is a 'Battery' in chess?

a)

Two knights working together

b)

Two long range pieces lined up and pointed in the same direction

c)

A pawn and a rook working together

d)

A king and a queen protecting each other

6.

Why do bishops work well together as a 'Bishop Pair'?

a)

They can jump over pieces

b)

They cover both dark and light squares

c)

They can move like knights

d)

They protect the king

7.

What does 'Block' mean in chess?

a)

Moving a piece to the center

b)

Placing a lesser-valued piece in front of a more-valuable one to block its capture

c)

Sacrificing a piece for a strategic advantage

d)

Moving a piece to the edge of the board

8.

What is the act of placing a piece in the path of a "passed pawn" to keep it from promoting called?

a)

Castling

b)

Blunder

c)

Blocking

d)

Centering

9.

What is a "blunder" in chess?

a)

A strategic move

b)

A really bad move

c)

A defensive move

d)

A pawn promotion

10.

What is the term for moving the king two squares towards a rook and then moving the rook to the square the king crossed?

a)

Blocking

b)

Blunder

c)

Castling

d)

Centering

11.

Which of the following conditions must be met for castling to occur?

a)

The king has moved before

b)

The rook involved has moved before

c)

The king is in check

d)

The squares between the king and rook are unoccupied

12.

What is the purpose of centralizing pieces and pawns in chess?

a)

To attack the center

b)

To defend the king

c)

To control the edges

d)

To capture the opponent's queen

13.

What does it mean when a king is in check?

a)

The king is captured

b)

The king is threatened

c)

The king is safe

d)

The king is promoted

14.

What is one way to get out of check in chess?

a)

Capture the checking piece

b)

Move the queen

c)

Promote a pawn

d)

Castle the king

15.

What is a "checkmate" in chess?

a)

A move that puts the opponent's king in check

b)

A move that captures the opponent's queen

c)

A position where the opponent's king cannot escape check

d)

A strategy to control the center of the board

16.

What is a "Closed Game" in chess?

a)

A game with many pawn trades

b)

A position with few pawn trades and restricted movement

c)

A game where the king is in constant check

d)

A strategy focusing on the queen's side

17.

What is the Colle Opening System?

a)

An opening where the king pawn is moved first

b)

An opening piece formation for white using the queen pawn

c)

A defensive strategy for black

d)

A tactic to capture the opponent's rook

18.

What is a series of tactical moves designed to improve your overall position in chess, often involving surprise or sacrifice?

a)

Development

b)

Checkmate

c)

Tactical combination

d)

Stalemate

19.

What are connected passed pawns in chess?

a)

Two or more pawns of the same color on adjacent files

b)

Pawns that are isolated

c)

Pawns that are blocked by other pieces

d)

Pawns that have been captured

20.

What does the term "development" refer to in chess?

a)

Moving only pawns

b)

Bringing pieces into play and getting them active

c)

Capturing the opponent's pieces

d)

Keeping pieces on their original squares

21.

What is a discovered attack in chess?

a)

A tactic where a piece moves to reveal an attack from a hidden long-range piece.

b)

A tactic where a piece is sacrificed to gain a positional advantage.

c)

A tactic where a pawn is promoted to a queen.

d)

A tactic where a king is put in checkmate.

22.

In a discovered check, what happens?

a)

The hidden long-range piece checks the king.

b)

The king is moved to a safe square.

c)

A pawn is promoted to a queen.

d)

The opponent's queen is captured immediately.

23.

What is a move that attacks two things at once in chess?

a)

Double Check

b)

Fork

c)

Pin

d)

Skewer

24.

What is a double check in chess?

a)

A move where two pieces attack the opponent's king simultaneously

b)

A move where a piece attacks two different pieces

c)

A move where a pawn promotes to a queen

d)

A move where a king is in check by one piece

25.

What is a common weakness in chess involving pawns?

a)

Doubled Pawns

b)

Isolated Pawns

c)

Backward Pawns

d)

Passed Pawns

26.

What is the Dragon Opening System in chess?

a)

An opening piece formation for black based on the Sicilian Defense

b)

A defensive strategy for white

c)

A mid-game tactic for capturing the queen

d)

A pawn structure for endgame

27.

What does a "Draw" mean in chess?

a)

One side wins and the other loses

b)

Both sides win

c)

Neither side wins and neither side loses

d)

The game is restarted

28.

What is a "Dual Purpose Move" in chess?

a)

A move that accomplishes two or more things

b)

A move that sacrifices a piece

c)

A move that only defends

d)

A move that only attacks

29.

What is "En Passant" in chess?

a)

A special capture move between two pawns

b)

A move to promote a pawn

c)

A checkmate strategy

d)

A way to castle

30.

What does "Endgame" refer to in chess?

a)

The start of the game

b)

The middle of the game

c)

Late in the game when there are relatively few pieces left on the board

d)

A strategy to open the game

31.

What does "Exchange" mean in chess?

a)

A trade or swap of pieces

b)

A move to check the king

c)

A strategy to win the game

d)

A way to draw the game

32.

What is "The Exchange" in chess?

a)

Trading a pawn for a knight

b)

Gaining a rook for your own bishop or knight

c)

Swapping queens

d)

Exchanging two pawns

33.

What is a "Fianchetto" in chess?

a)

Moving the queen to the center

b)

Developing bishops to b2, g2, b7, or g7

c)

Castling on the king's side

d)

Advancing pawns to the opponent's side

34.

What is a "File" in chess?

a)

A row of eight horizontal squares

b)

A row of eight vertical squares

c)

A diagonal line of squares

d)

A square in the center of the board

35.

What is a "Forced Move" in chess?

a)

A move that captures a piece

b)

A move that is the only one to not result in a serious disadvantage

c)

A move that checks the opponent's king

d)

A move that opens up the center

36.

What is a situation called when a piece or pawn attacks two or more of your opponent's pieces at the same time?

a)

Fork

b)

Check

c)

Pin

d)

Stalemate

37.

What is a gambit in chess?

a)

A pawn sacrifice made in the opening to gain an advantage

b)

A move to checkmate the opponent

c)

A defensive strategy to protect the king

d)

A method to draw the game

38.

What does it mean when a piece is "hanging" in chess?

a)

An unprotected piece or pawn

b)

A piece that is pinned

c)

A piece that is in check

d)

A piece that is promoted

39.

What is a "hole" in chess?

a)

A square that cannot be defended by pawns.

b)

A square occupied by a knight.

c)

A square controlled by the queen.

d)

A square that is protected by a bishop.

40.

What does the term "house" refer to in chess?

a)

The kingside formation of a centrally-developed knight, fianchettoed bishop, and castled king.

b)

A defensive structure made by pawns.

c)

A position where the queen is trapped.

d)

A strategy involving only rooks.

41.

What is an "in-between move" in chess?

a)

A tactic where a player introduces a new attack instead of directly countering a threat.

b)

A move that involves sacrificing a pawn.

c)

A strategy to exchange queens.

d)

A defensive move to protect the king.

42.

What is an "In Your Face Checkmate" in chess?

a)

A checkmate where the checkmating piece is far from the opponent king.

b)

A checkmate when the checkmating piece, supported by another piece, is next to the opponent king.

c)

A checkmate involving only pawns.

d)

A checkmate that occurs in the opening moves.

43.

What does "Insufficient Mating Material" mean in chess?

a)

A situation where one side has too many pieces.

b)

A type of draw where neither side can ever checkmate the opponent.

c)

A position where only pawns are left on the board.

d)

A scenario where both players have equal material.

44.

Which of the following is an example of "Insufficient Mating Material"?

a)

King vs King

b)

Queen vs King

c)

Rook vs King

d)

King and Queen vs King

45.

What is an isolated pawn in chess?

a)

A pawn with no friendly pawns next to it on adjoining files.

b)

A pawn that is protected by another pawn.

c)

A pawn that is on the edge of the board.

d)

A pawn that is in the center of the board.

46.

What does the term "kingside" refer to in chess?

a)

The left half of the board.

b)

The right half of the board where the queens and the bishops, knights, and rooks next to them initially start.

c)

The center of the board.

d)

The area where only pawns are placed.

47.

What are major pieces in chess?

a)

Pawns and Knights

b)

Bishops and Knights

c)

Queen and Rooks

d)

King and Pawns

48.

What does "maneuver" mean in chess?

a)

Capturing an opponent's piece.

b)

A quiet redeployment of pieces to a hopefully better position.

c)

Promoting a pawn to a queen.

d)

Starting the game with a pawn move.

49.

What is the short form of "checkmate" in chess?

a)

Mate

b)

Check

c)

Stalemate

d)

Draw

50.

What is the value of a rook in chess?

a)

3

b)

5

c)

9

d)

1

51.

What are the minor pieces in chess?

a)

Rooks and Queens

b)

Knights and Bishops

c)

Pawns and Kings

d)

Queens and Kings

52.

What is the middlegame in chess?

a)

The start of the game

b)

The part after the opening and before the endgame

c)

The final moves of the game

d)

The first move of the game

53.

What is an octopus in chess?

a)

A pawn on the 8th rank

b)

A rook on the 1st rank

c)

A knight on an advanced outpost

d)

A bishop on the 3rd rank

54.

What is an open file in chess?

a)

A row with all pawns

b)

A vertical row with no pawns

c)

A diagonal with no pieces

d)

A horizontal row with no pieces

55.

What is an open game in chess?

a)

A game with no pieces

b)

A position where pieces can move freely

c)

A game with only pawns

d)

A position with no possible moves

56.

What is an example of a chess opening?

a)

The Sicilian

b)

The Overloaded

c)

The Knight's Move

d)

The Pawn's Gambit

57.

What does an overloaded piece in chess mean?

a)

A piece that is doing too much

b)

A piece that is not protected

c)

A piece that is attacking

d)

A piece that is moving

58.

What is overprotection in chess?

a)

Giving a piece more protection than needed

b)

Attacking with more pieces

c)

Moving a piece to a new position

d)

Capturing an opponent's piece

59.

What is a pawn that has moved beyond capture by the other side's pawns and has no other pawns in front of it called?

a)

Passed Pawn

b)

Pawn Break

c)

Pawn Chain

d)

Isolated Pawn

60.

What is a move that invites the exchange of pawns to open the position called?

a)

Pawn Break

b)

Pawn Chain

c)

Passed Pawn

d)

Fork

61.

What is it called when two or more pawns of the same color are linked together diagonally?

a)

Pawn Chain

b)

Pawn Break

c)

Passed Pawn

d)

Double Pawns

62.

What is a pawn island in chess?

a)

A group of pawns connected in a straight line

b)

A group of pawns separated from other pawns of the same color

c)

A single pawn on the board

d)

A pawn that has reached the opponent's back rank

63.

Why is it generally hard to defend a lot of pawn islands?

a)

They are too close to the opponent's pieces

b)

They are isolated and lack support from other pawns

c)

They are too far from the king

d)

They are always in the center of the board

64.

What is a perpetual check in chess?

a)

A check that happens once in a game

b)

A position where one player can force the opposing side to repeat the same positions

c)

A check that leads to a checkmate

d)

A check that occurs only at the end of the game

65.

What is the advantage of having a strong pawn-chain in chess?

a)

It allows for more pawn islands

b)

It provides a strong central structure

c)

It isolates the opponent's pawns

d)

It makes the king vulnerable

66.

What does the term "Pigs on the 7th" refer to in chess?

a)

Two bishops controlling the center

b)

Two rooks acting together on the 7th rank

c)

A knight and a bishop on the 7th rank

d)

A queen and a rook on the 8th rank

67.

What is a "pin" in chess?

a)

A piece that can move freely

b)

A piece that cannot move without exposing a higher-valued piece

c)

A piece that is protected by a pawn

d)

A piece that is attacking the king

68.

What is a "poisoned pawn" in chess?

a)

A pawn that is protected by a knight

b)

A pawn that is free to take without consequences

c)

A pawn that appears free but sets off a trap if taken

d)

A pawn that is on the 8th rank

69.

What is a "positional" move in chess?

a)

A move that captures an opponent's piece

b)

A quiet, fundamentally sound move that doesn't create weaknesses

c)

A move that puts the king in check

d)

A move that sacrifices a piece

70.

What happens during "promotion" in chess?

a)

A pawn is removed from the board

b)

A pawn becomes a knight

c)

A pawn becomes a new queen or other piece when it reaches the 8th rank

d)

A pawn moves backwards

71.

What is a "protected passed pawn"?

a)

A pawn that is blocked by another pawn

b)

A pawn that is protected by a friendly pawn

c)

A pawn that is about to be captured

d)

A pawn that has reached the 8th rank

72.

What is the "queenside" in chess?

a)

The right half of the board

b)

The center of the board

c)

The left half of the board where the queens and the bishops, knights, and rooks next to them initially start

d)

The area around the king