Chess & Card Games
Play · 70 words
Levelsall
Practise these 70 words
Learn with flashcardsno clock, no typing
The words
70 words
- analysis/əˈnælɪsɪs/noun · B1+A careful examination that takes something apart to understand it.
- backgammon/ˈbæk.ɡæm.ən/noun · B2+A board game of moving counters by the throw of dice.
- bishop/ˈbɪʃəp/noun · B2The chess piece that moves only along diagonals.
- blitz/blɪts/noun · C2A sustained bombing campaign against a city.
- blunder/ˈblʌn.dəː/verb · C1To make a stupid mistake, or to move clumsily.
- board gamenoun · A2A tabletop game played with pieces, dice, or cards on a flat surface.
- bye/baɪ/noun · A1A free pass into the next round.
- capture/ˈkæp.(t)ʃəː/verb · B2To take an opponent's piece off the board.
- castling/ˈkɑːstlɪŋ/noun · C1A special move that tucks the king behind a tower.
- centre controlnoun · C1Command of the middle squares of the board.
- check/t͡ʃɛk/verb · A2To look at something to make sure it is right.
- checkmate/ˈt͡ʃɛkmeɪt/noun · B2The move that traps the king and ends the game.
- chessboardnoun · B1+The squared board the game of kings is played on.
- clock/klɒk/noun · A1The round face with moving hands that shows the time on a wall.
- combination/ˌkɒmbɪˈneɪʃən/noun · B2A forced series of moves with a clear point.
- counter/ˈkaʊn.tə/noun · B2The flat work surface where all the chopping and mixing happens.
- development/dɪˈvɛl.əp.mənt/noun · B1Growth and change toward a fuller form.
- diagonal/daɪ̯ˈæɡ(ə)nəl/adjective · B1+Running slantwise from corner to corner.
- dice/daɪs/noun · A2+A small cube with dots from one to six, thrown in board games.
- discovered attacknoun · C1A threat revealed by moving another piece out of the way.
- dominoes/ˈdɒmɪnəʊz/noun · B1+A game of matching numbered tiles end to end.
- draughts/dɹɑːfts/noun · B2+A board game of jumping and capturing discs.
- draw/dɹɑ/verb · A1To make a picture with a pen or a soft graphite stick.
- en passant/ˌɒ̃ pæˈsɒ̃/<a:RP><ref:[https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/english/en-passant Cambridge Dictionary]>noun · C1A special capture of a pawn that has just passed by.
- endgame/ˈɛnd.ɡeɪm/noun · B2+The final stage, when few pieces are left.
- exchange/ɛksˈt͡ʃeɪnd͡ʒ/verb · B1To give one thing and receive another — money, gifts, or words.
- file/faɪl/noun · C1A column of squares running up the board.
- forfeit/ˈfɔː.fɪt/verb · C1To lose something as a penalty.
- fork/fɔːk/noun · B2One piece attacking two enemy pieces at once.
- gambit/ˈɡæmbɪt/noun · C2An opening where you give something up for advantage.
- go/ɡəʊ/noun · B2An ancient game of surrounding territory with stones.
- grandmasternoun · B2+The highest title a player can be awarded.
- handicap/ˈhændikæp/noun · B2An adjustment that gives weaker players a fair chance.
- initiative/ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.tɪv/noun · B2The drive to act first without being told; also, a new plan of action.
- king/ˈkɪŋ/noun · B1The piece that must be defended at all costs.
- knight/ˈnaɪ̯t/noun · B1The piece that moves in an L shape and may jump.
- knockout/ˈnɒk.aʊt/noun · B2A competition where losers leave at once.
- mahjong/mɑːˈd͡ʒɒŋ/noun · B2+A tile game of forming sets, from China.
- material/məˈtɪə.ɹi.əl/noun · C1The pieces each side has, counted by value.
- midgamenoun · C1The stage after the pieces have been developed.
- notation/noʊˈteɪʃən/noun · C1The agreed set of symbols a field writes in.
- opening/ˈəʊ.pə.nɪŋ/noun · B2The first planned moves of a game.
- opponent/əˈpəʊ.nənt/noun · B2The person or team you are playing against.
- outpost/ˈaʊtˌpoʊst/noun · B2+A small position held far from the main force.
- pawn/ˈpɔːn/noun · B2The smallest and most numerous chess piece.
- piece/piːs/noun · A1One of the figures moved about in a game.
- pin/pɪn/noun · C1Trapping a piece so that moving it exposes a greater one.
- prodigy/ˈpɹɒdɪd͡ʒi/noun · B2+A child with an adult master's talent.
- promotion/pɹəˈməʊʃn̩/noun · B2The turning of a lowly piece into a powerful one.
- puzzle/ˈpʌzəl/noun · B2A picture cut into many little pieces that you fit back together.
- queen/kwiːn/noun · B1The most powerful piece on the board.
- rank/ˈɹæŋk/noun · C1A row of squares running across the board.
- rating/ˈɹeɪtɪŋ/noun · B2A number showing how strong a player is.
- resign/ɹɪˈzaɪn/verb · B2To give up a post before the term ends.
- rook/ɹʊk/noun · C1A sociable black bird that nests in treetop colonies.
- round robin/ˌɹaʊnd ˈɹɒbɪn/noun · C1A competition where everybody plays everybody.
- sacrifice/ˈsæk.ɹɪ.faɪs/noun · B2Giving up something precious for a greater cause.
- scrabble/ˈskɹæbəl/noun · B1+A game of forming words on a lettered grid.
- seed/siːd/noun · B1The tiny hard thing you put in the earth so a plant will grow.
- skewer/ˈskjuː.ə/noun · B2+A thin stick pushed through pieces of food for grilling.
- solitaire/ˈsɒl.ɪˌtɛə(ɹ)/noun · B1+A game played alone, with cards or pegs.
- square/skwɛə/noun · A2A shape with four equal sides.
- stalemate/ˈsteɪlmeɪt/noun · C1A deadlock where neither side can win or move.
- strategy/ˈstɹæt.ɪ.d͡ʒɪ/noun · A2+The big long-term design for winning.
- tactic/ˈtæktɪk/noun · C1One particular move made to gain a small advantage.
- tempo/ˈtɛm.pəʊ/noun · C1A single move considered as a unit of time.
- time controlnoun · B2The limit set on how long each side may think.
- tournament/ˈtʊənəmənt/noun · B2A big competition of many rounds until one winner is left.
- variation/ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/noun · B2One of the possible lines a game may follow.
- zugzwang/ˈzʌɡ.zwæŋ/noun · C2A position where any move you make will hurt you.