ChessRanger
Basics

Check

An attack on the king that must be answered immediately.

When your king is attacked it is in check, and you must get out of it at once — by moving the king, blocking the attacker, or capturing it. You may never make a move that leaves your own king in check, and you can never actually capture a king.

If a king in check has no legal way out, it is checkmate and the game is over; if a king not in check has no legal move, it is stalemate — a draw.

Why it matters

Check is the most forcing move in chess: it strips the opponent of choices, which is exactly why checks are the backbone of tactics and combinations.

The mistake everyone makes

Giving 'checks for the sake of checks' that only chase the king to safety and lose you tempo — check because it helps, not because you can.

Related terms

Fork
One piece attacking two or more enemy pieces at the same time.
Combination
A forcing sequence of moves — usually with a sacrifice — that wins by force.
Stalemate
The side to move has no legal move and is not in check — the game is an immediate draw.

See Check in your own games

Play the engine, train tactics, and analyse your games — ChessRanger points out these patterns as they come up so the word turns into a skill. Free to start.

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