Check ( chess ) - wikipedia Check ( chess ) d f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 d f g h Black 's king is in check by White 's rook. A check is a condition in chess, shogi and xiangqi that occurs when a player 's king ( or general in xiangqi ) is under threat of capture on their opponent 's next turn. A king so threatened is said to be in check. A player must get out of check, if possible, by interposing a piece between the threatening piece and the king, capturing the threatening piece, or moving the king to a square where it is no longer in check. If the player can not move out of check, the game ends in checkmate and the player loses. Players can not make any move that puts their own king in check. Contents 1 Introduction 2 Getting out of check 3 Types of checks 4 Announcing check and notation 4.1 Historical 5 Checking in tactics and strategy 6 History 7 See also 8 References This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. Introduction A check is the result of a move that places the opposing king under an immediate threat of capture by at least one of the player 's pieces. Making a move that checks is sometimes called `` giving check ''. If the king is in check and the checked player has no legal move to get his king out of check, the king is checkmated and the player loses. Under the standard rules of chess, a player may not make any move which places or leaves their king in check. A player may move the king, capture the threatening piece, or block the check with another piece. Some variations of chess, such as Losing chess, allow a player to move into check, and in fast chess a player is permitted to leave their king in check, which results in them losing the game. A king can not itself directly check the opposing king, since this would place the first king in check as well. However a move of the king could expose the opposing king to a discovered check by another piece. In informal games, it is customary to announce `` check '' when making a move that puts the opponent 's king in check. However, in formal competitions, check is rarely announced. Getting out of check d f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 d f g h White is in check. The king can get out of check by three methods. d f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 d f g h White is in checkmate. The king can not escape anywhere and White has lost the game. There may be up to three possible ways to get a king out of a single check on the following move : Capturing the checking piece, with either the king or another piece. If the checking piece is on a square next to the king, the king can capture the piece if the king does not move into a new check, i.e. if the piece is not protected by another enemy piece. Note that the piece which is pinned to the king can not capture the checking piece because such a move will place the king in a check from the pinning piece. Moving the king to an adjacent square where it will not be in check. The king is not allowed to castle when it is in check. The king may capture an enemy piece in a move to get out of check, as long as the piece is not protected. Blocking the check. This will only work if the checking piece is a queen, rook or bishop and there is at least one empty square in the line between this checking piece and the checked king. Blocking a check is done by moving a piece to a square in line in between the checking piece and the checked king. ( The blocking piece is then pinned to the king by the attacking piece. ) In the position in the first diagram, White can get out of check by three methods : The move Nxa2, capturing the attacking piece. Moving the king to any unattacked square ( marked with `` x '' ), namely Kd6, Ke5, or Ke7. Blocking the check by the move Rc4 or Nd5. If a king is placed in double check, the king must get out of both checks on the following move. Since it is impossible to capture both checking pieces or block both lines of attack in a single move, a double check can be escaped only by moving the king out of check. If none of these possibilities can get the king out of check, then it is checkmated and the game is lost by the player being checkmated. Types of checks A simple and very common type of check is when a piece moves to directly attack the opposing king only by itself. Sometimes such a check is part of a chess tactic such as a fork, a skewer, or a discovered attack on another piece. In some cases, a check can be used to defend against such tactics. There are also a few more special types of check : Discovered check. A discovered check is similar to any other type of discovered attack except that it is a discovered attack on the opposing king. In a discovered check, a piece moves out of the line of attack by another piece so that this other piece ( which can be a queen, rook, or bishop ) is then checking the opponent 's king. The piece that actually moved in the discovered check move could possibly be any type of piece belonging to the same player as the checking piece except queen or the same type of piece administering the check. A discovered check could be a tactic in itself because the piece that moved could attack or otherwise create a threat to another piece on the checked king 's side. The opponent has to get out of the discovered check on the following move and may not get a chance to thwart the attack by the other piece that moved. Double check. A double check is a check from two pieces to the opponent 's king in a single move. This happens when a moved piece attacks the king, resulting in a second piece giving check by discovered check. It can also happen, though very rarely, when an en passant capture opens two lines of attack simultaneously. In algebraic chess notation, a double check move is sometimes noted with a `` + + '' after the written move in place of the usual `` + '', although `` + + '' has been used to indicate checkmate ( along with `` # '' ). A double check can not be blocked, nor can it be met by capturing one of the checking pieces ( unless the king itself makes the capture ), because there is check from two directions. Cross-check. When a check is answered by a check, particularly when this second check is delivered by a piece blocking the first, it is called a cross-check. In fact, a `` cross-checkmate '' is also possible in that way ( that is, to answer a check with a checkmate ) but since no such term exists, it would be called cross-check as well. Cross-checks are rather rare but are a popular theme in chess problems. Announcing check and notation In friendly games, the checking player customarily says `` check '' when making a checking move. Announcing `` check '' is not required under the rules of chess and it is usually not done in formal games. Until the early 20th century a player was expected to announce `` check '', and some sources of rules even required it ( Hooper & Whyld 1992 : 74 ). In algebraic chess notation, a checking move is recorded like any other move, except that a `` + '' is normally written after the move. In the FIDE rules for rapid chess, if a player leaves their king in check or commits any other illegal move their opponent can not claim a win. Historical Less commonly ( and obsolete ), the warning garde can be said when a player directly attacks the opponent 's queen in a similar way. This was mostly abandoned in the 19th century ( Hooper & Whyld 1992 : 74 ). The same move can be both check and garde simultaneously. Before the queen acquired its current move ( about 1495 ) the rook was the most powerful piece. At that time the term check - rook was used for a move that checked the king and attacked a rook at the same time ( Hooper & Whyld 1992 : 75 ). Checking in tactics and strategy Sometimes checking an opponent provides no benefit to the checking player. This is called a `` useless check '' and it may even provide the checked opponent with a tempo ( move opportunity ) to move the king into a safer position ( Hooper & Whyld 1992 : 437 ). For example, 1. e4 e6 2. d4 Bb4+ ? does nothing for Black and in fact causes them to lose a tempo after 3. c3 ! A check given with the sole intention of delaying an inevitable defeat by one move is referred to as a `` spite check '', and may be considered somewhat unsporting ( Eade 2005 : 65 ). There are many instances, however, when checking the opponent 's king may be a useful tactic or part of a tactic, either in attacking or in defense. Checking is often used in combinations with many other tactics or simply to force an opponent into a position where the opposing king can be checkmated, otherwise taken advantage of, or is otherwise worse for the opponent. Some attacks involve numerous checks to force an opponent into a losing position, especially when the king is exposed. An unexpected check in a forced combination or an overlooked cross-check in a planned series of checks may serve as sort of a zwischenzug, foiling the plan. Some uses of checking : Repetitive checking to prevent losing a game going poorly ( i.e. to draw the game by perpetual check ). Royal fork ( knight fork of king and queen ) or other forks involving the king. Checks to force an exchange. A double check could be especially bad for the opponent since there are likely to be fewer options to get out of check. A double check is often more likely to lead to checkmate or loss of material. A check might force a king to move so that it can not castle later. Moving a piece to give check can sometimes open a line of attack on another piece. The opponent must escape the check, and therefore can not ( in general ) prevent the other piece from being captured ( discovered attack ). Similarly, the piece moved to create a discovered check may attack another enemy piece, leading to the same scenario. The king may also, by being forced to move out of check, enable the checking piece to capture another piece ( an absolute skewer ). A check might force some piece to block it and therefore pose an absolute pin on that piece. A check might deflect the king from protecting some other piece ( particularly in an endgame, to capture opponent 's pawns ). A check could sometimes be used to foil an opponent 's trap which would otherwise lead to loss of material. For example, if an opponent forks two of a player 's pieces, the attacked player may be able to move one of the forked pieces to check the opponent 's king requiring the opponent to save it on his / her next move, thus allowing the player to then move the other forked piece to also save it from attack. History In early Sanskrit chess ( c. 500 -- 700 ) the king could be captured and this ended the game. The Persians ( c. 700 -- 800 ) introduced the idea of warning that the king was under attack ( announcing check in modern terminology ). This was done to avoid the early and accidental end of a game. Later the Persians added the additional rule that a king could not be moved into check or left in check. As a result, the king could not be captured ( Davidson 1949 : 22 ). In this usage, the words `` check '' and `` chess '' come via Arabic from Persian shāh, meaning `` king '' or `` monarch '' ( Murray 2012 : 159 ). See also Checkmate Rules of chess Atari in Game of Go References Jump up ^ ( Just & Burg 2003 : 27 ), ( Polgar & Truong 2005 : 32,103 ), ( Burgess 2009 : 550 ) Jump up ^ ( Just & Burg 2003 : 28 ) Jump up ^ ( Polgar & Truong 2005 : 32,103 ) Jump up ^ FIDE Laws of chess Jump up ^ http://www.fide.com/component/handbook/?id=171&view=article ( accessed 22 March 2015 ) Jump up ^ `` The King Is not Dead After All ! The Real Meaning of Shah Mat or the Lesson of the Commode '' Archived May 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine., Jan Newton, GoddessChess.com, September 2003 Bibliography Davidson, Henry ( 1949 ), A Short History of Chess, McKay, ISBN 0 - 679 - 14550 - 8 ( 1981 paperback ) Eade, James ( 2005 ), Chess for Dummies ( 2nd ed. ), Cardoza, ISBN 978 - 0 - 7645 - 8404 - 6 Golombek, Harry ( 1977 ), Golombek 's Encyclopedia of Chess, Crown Publishing, ISBN 0 - 517 - 53146 - 1 Hooper, David ; Whyld, Kenneth ( 1992 ), The Oxford Companion to Chess ( 2nd ed. ), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0 - 19 - 866164 - 9 Just, Tim ; Burg, Daniel B. ( 2003 ), U.S. Chess Federation 's Official Rules of Chess ( 5th ed. ), McKay, ISBN 0 - 8129 - 3559 - 4 Murray, H.J.R. ( 2012 ) ( 1913 ), A History of Chess, Skyhorse, ISBN 978 - 1 - 62087 - 062 - 4 Polgar, Susan ; Truong, Paul ( 2005 ), A World Champion 's Guide to Chess, Random House, ISBN 978 - 0 - 8129 - 3653 - 7 Schiller, Eric ( 2003 ), Official Rules of Chess ( 2nd ed. ), Cardoza, ISBN 978 - 1 - 58042 - 092 - 1 Chess Outline Chess theory Chess titles Grandmaster list of Grandmasters Computer chess matches engines software Correspondence chess FIDE Glossary History timeline Problems / Compositions Rating system world rankings norms Variants Courier World records Equipment Chessboard Chess box Chess set King Queen Rook Bishop Knight Pawn Chess clock Chess table Rules Castling Check Checkmate Draw by agreement Fifty - move rule Perpetual check Stalemate Threefold repetition En passant Pawn promotion Time control Fast chess Touch - move rule Terms Blunder Chess notation algebraic descriptive PGN annotation symbols symbols in Unicode Fianchetto Gambit Key square King walk Pawns backward connected doubled isolated Maróczy Bind passed Open file Half - open file Outpost School hypermodern romantic Swindle Tempo Transposition Trap Tactics Battery Alekhine 's gun Block Checkmate patterns Combination Decoy Deflection Desperado Discovered attack Double check Fork Interference Overloading Pin Sacrifice Skewer Undermining Windmill X-ray Zwischenzug Strategy Artificial castling Compensation Exchange the exchange Initiative first - move advantage Middlegame Pawn storm Pawn structure Piece values Prophylaxis Openings Flank opening English Opening Zukertort Opening Réti Opening King 's Indian Attack Larsen 's Opening Bird 's Opening Grob 's Attack Dunst Opening Benko Opening King 's Pawn Game Alekhine 's Defence Caro -- Kann Defence French Defence Modern Defence Nimzowitsch Defence Open Game Italian Game Semi-Italian Opening Giuoco Piano King 's Gambit Petrov 's Defence Philidor Defence Ruy Lopez Scotch Game Owen 's Defence Pirc Defence Scandinavian Defense Tennison Gambit Sicilian Defence Alapin Dragon / Accelerated Dragon Najdorf Scheveningen Queen 's Pawn Game Dutch Defence Indian Defence Benoni Defence Modern Benoni Bogo - Indian Defence Grünfeld Defence King 's Indian Defence Nimzo - Indian Defence Queen 's Indian Defence Trompowsky Attack London System Queen 's Gambit Accepted Declined Slav Defence Catalan Opening Other List of openings theory table List of chess gambits Irregular Quick checkmates Fool 's mate Scholar 's mate Endgames King and pawn vs king Opposite - coloured bishops Pawnless endgame Queen and pawn vs queen Queen vs pawn Rook and bishop vs rook Rook and pawn vs rook Lucena position Philidor position Strategy fortress opposition Tarrasch rule triangulation Zugzwang Study Tablebase Two knights endgame Wrong bishop Wrong rook pawn Tournaments List of strong chess tournaments Chess Olympiad Women 's World Chess Championship List Candidates Tournament Chess World Cup FIDE Grand Prix World championships Women 's Team Rapid Blitz Junior Youth Senior Amateur Chess composition Solving Computer chess Computer speed chess Related Cheating in chess Chess aesthetics Chess in the arts in early literature Chess books opening books endgame literature Chess club Chess composer Chess in Europe Göttingen manuscript Chess libraries Chess newspaper columns Chess periodicals Chess prodigy Gökyay Association Chess Museum Hall of Fame Deep Blue Mutilated chessboard problem Notable games PRO Chess League Simultaneous exhibition Staunton chess set Top player comparison Joke chess problem Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Check_(chess)&oldid=801582482 '' Categories : Chess rules Chess terminology Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Talk Variants Contents About Wikipedia Български Català Čeština Cymraeg Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español فارسی Føroyskt Français Galego 한국어 हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית മലയാളം Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Slovenčina Svenska தமிழ் Українська اردو Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 20 September 2017, at 15 : 32. 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Question: when do you have to say check in chess
Answer: Announcing "check" is not required under the rules of chess