# Chess Pieces



## Josh_

I did a search and could not find this topic.

I love the game of chess. Before I knew a second language I just assumed that the pieces were called the same things in all languages, but now I know that is not so. I would like to know what the chess pieces are called in your language and the English translation of the word to see how much variety there is. 

English:
1.  King
2.  Queen
3.  Bishop
4.  Knight
5.  Castle/Rook
6.  Pawn


Arabic (or at least Egyptian Arabic)
1.  malik (king)
2.  waziir ((government) minister)
3.  fiil (elephant)
4.  Husaan (horse)
5.  Tabya (fortress or tower)
6.  'askari (soldier)
 ---also called beedaq (no English translation other than pawn to show that it is the  chess piece)

Also, what word do you say when you put your opponent in check?
English: Check!
Arabic: Kish!


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## elroy

Palestinian Arabic:

1. malek (king)
2. malike (queen)
3. waziir (governmental minister)
4. HSaan (horse)
5. qal'a (castle)
6. jundi (soldier) 

Question:


			
				Josh Adkins said:
			
		

> 2. waziir ((government) minister) Is this really what you call the *queen*?





> Also, what word do you say when you put your opponent in check?
> English: Check!
> Arabic: Kish!


In Palestinian Arabic we say "malek" (king).


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## Krümelmonster

German:  
 1.  König (king)
  2. Dame (lady)
  3. Läufer (courser???)
  4. Pferd (horse)
  5. Turm (tower)
  6. Bauer (peasant)

Oh, and we say "Schach" (the name of the game )


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## parakseno

1.  King - rege
2.  Queen - regină
3.  Bishop - nebun (literally madman)
4.  Knight - cal (meaning horse)
5.  Castle/Rook - tură (tower)
6.  Pawn - pion

Check - Şah (just as the name of the game)
Checkmate - Şah mat


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## diegodbs

Spanish:

1. Rey
2. Reina
3. Alfil
4. Caballo
5. Torre
6. Peón

Jaque, Jaque mate.


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## Whodunit

Just a few additions:


			
				Krümelmonster said:
			
		

> German:
> 3. Läufer (courser??? runner)
> 4. Pferd/Springer (horse)
> 5. Turm (tower)
> 6. Bauer (peasant farmer)



We could add "Checkmate!" in every language.

German: Schach matt!


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## jester.

Whodunit said:
			
		

> We could add "Checkmate!" in every language.
> 
> German: Schach matt!



Spanish: ¡Jaque mate!


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## lazarus1907

What about these?

draw - tablas
stalemate - ahogado
castle - enroque
en passant - al paso


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## anthodocheio

Greek:

1. βασιλιάς (king)
2. βασίλισσα (queen)
3. αξιωματικός (officer)
4. άλογο (horse)
5. πύργος (tower)
6. στρατιωτάκι (little soldier)

The other terms are "mat" and "rua-mat" (well it's French and I don't remember how to spell it)

And the game is "σκάκι" (skaki)= chess
---


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## Tisia

Persian:English
1. Shah:King
2. Vazir:Minister
3. Rukh:Castle/Rook
4. Peyadehawn
5. Pil OR Fiil: Elephant
6. Sarbaz:Soldier

Tisia


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## Outsider

Portuguese:
1. Rei (king)
2. Rainha (queen)
3. Bispo (bishop)
4. Cavalo (horse)
5. Torre (tower)
6. Peão (pawn)

English: Check!
Portuguese: Xeque! (from Persian _shah_, via French _échec_)


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## Jana337

A nice topic. 

1. Král - king
2. Dáma - lady
3. Střelec - gunman/shooter
4. Jezdec - rider/cavalryman (sometimes kůň - horse)
5. Věž - tower
6. Pěšec - infantryman

Check - šach
Checkmate - šach mat (pretty much like the Persian "the king is dead").

I have found what Josh was looking for, the comments are interesting. Click. 

Jana


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## Maja

In Serbian:

 Chess (the game) - šah  (Cyrillic шах)
Chess board - šahovska tabla (шаховска табла)
  Check - šah (шах)
  Checkmate - šah-mat; in short just "mat" (шах-мат)

 Pieces
1.  King - Kralj (краљ)
2.  Queen - Kraljica (краљица)
3.  Bishop - Lovac (ловац)
4.  Knight - Skakač/konj (скакач/коњ)
5.  Castle - Top (топ)
6.  Pawn - Pešak/pion (пешак/пион)

Pozdrav!


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## Mutichou

In *French*:
1.  King: roi _(lit. king)_
2.  Queen: reine_ (lit. queen)_
3.  Bishop: fou _(lit. madman / fool, jester)_
4.  Knight: cavalier_ (lit. horseman)_
5.  Castle/Rook: tour _(lit. tower)_
6.  Pawn: pion _(lit. pawn)_

Checkmate : échec et mat


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## Honour

1. King (şah)
2. Queen (vezir: minister in ottomans)
3. Bishop (fil: elephant)
4. Knight (at: horse)
5. Castle/Rook (kale: castle)
6. Pawn (piyon: i don't know its translation but it is a player w/o importance)


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## Bienvenidos

Tisia said:
			
		

> Persian:English
> 1. Shah:King
> 2. Vazir:Minister
> 3. Rukh:Castle/Rook
> 4. Peyadehawn
> 5. Pil OR Fiil: Elephant
> 6. Sarbaz:Soldier
> 
> Tisia


 
In Afghan Persian (Afghan Farsi):

1. Shah:King
2. *W*azir:Minister
3. Rukh:Castle/Rook
4. Peyadehawn
5. *Fil:* Elephant (accent over I)
6. *Askar*:Soldier

*Bien*


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## Tatzingo

^Hey,

That's very different from most languages. The Queen is usually the piece next to the King. So is the King married to the Minister? 

Tatz.


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## Bienvenidos

^Hey  Sorry, I just used the examples given in the thread I quoted, which didn't include the queen. Queen is "malika" (the i pronounced as ee in meet)

*Bien*


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## Qcumber

Hello. An exciting thread.

I looked for the chess terms used in Tagalog (Philippines), and saw that all of them are Spanish (pronounced the Filipino way), and are now frequently replaced by the English ones (ditto).
chess = ajedrez > ahedres
king = rey > rey sometimes replaced by Tag. hari
queen = reina > reyna
bishop = alfil > arpil
knight = caballo > kabayo
rook = torre > tore
pawn = peon > piyon


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## Samaruc

Catalan/Valencian:

1. King: Rei
2. Queen: Reina
3. Bishop: Alfil
4. Knight: Cavall (Horse)
5. Castle: Torre (Tower)
6. Pawn: Peó

Chess: Escacs
Check: Escac
Checkmate: Escac i mat


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## Qcumber

Jana337 said:
			
		

> I have found what Josh was looking for, the comments are interesting. Click.  Jana



Yes, Jana. This article has almost everything.


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## Outsider

The table in that website has "dama" for "queen" in Portuguese, but I've never heard that term applied in the game of chess (we do use it in checkers). I wonder if it's Brazilian.


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## berty bee

In hungarian:

1.  King = király
2.  Queen = királynő or alternatively chief = vezér
3.  Bishop <- futó ( if I translate it: = runner)
4.  Knight = ló ( =horse) ( or  alternatively: cavalryman = huszár)
5.  Castle/Rook = bástya (other meaning: tower)
6.  Pawn = gyalog ( or  alternatively: paraszt <- if I translate it: peasant)

It seems me that our word for chief -> vezér originates from persian or arab


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## Tisia

Tatzingo said:
			
		

> That's very different from most languages. The Queen is usually the piece next to the King. So is the King married to the Minister?



Fortunately and unfortunately we don't send QUEENS to war, that's why there is no queen beside the king. Maybe becuase Chess is an old game and Iranians have kept its old piece names, or maybe it is a cultural thing

Tisia


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## Tatzingo

^Hi,

Interesting idea. If there is no queen because queens don't go to war (they just declare it!), then what's a bishop doing there? They don't generally go to war either! 

Old game? I was just wondering how old chess might actually be as a game? 400 hundred years?

Tatz.


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## Honour

^That is why we name them as vezir(chief), at (horse), fil(elephant), kale (castle), piyon (regular soldier) . They could all been seen in a historic war. Btw, chess is nearly two thousand years old.


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## Jana337

Please let's not spend more time on history than is needed for language question. 

Jana


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## Josh_

elroy said:
			
		

> 2. waziir ((government) minister) Is this really what you call the *queen*?


Yes, I felt that way at first, but thinking outside of the box, I asked myself why does the piece that we traditionally know as the queen have to be a queen, or female for that matter?


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## Jhorer Brishti

For those who are uninterested in viewing Whodunit's link, the ancient version of Chess played in India did had a Minister/Counselor as the piece endowed with the most power and this was later changed to a Queen in modern European Chess.

  Heeding Jana's plea, I'll refrain from delving even further into historical ramblings and post the names of the Chess pieces in Bengali:

_King- Raja_(self-explanatory)
_Queen-Mantri_(Montri, Minister/King's advisor. Just for comparison, the Bengali word for Prime Minister is Pradhan(Prodhan) Mantri.
_Bishop-Haati_(Elephant)
_Knight-Ghada_(GhoRa-Horse)
_Rook/Castle-Naukaa(_Noukaa, Boat or Vessel)
_Pawn-Sanya(_Shonno, Army)


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## Josh_

Jana337 said:
			
		

> I have found what Josh was looking for, the comments are interesting. Click.
> 
> Jana


Yes, that is a very interesting site.  Thanks for bringing it to us, Jana.

Thanks to everyone else also, for your contributions.


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## Jana337

Whodunit's post is now in Culture, please feel free to ramble there.


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## optimistique

The website Jana gave has all the Dutch names. 

It gives "*Dame*" for Queen, which is correct, but personally I always say "*Koningin*" which means 'Queen'. My Grandmother on the other hand always says *"Dam"*, probably after the original French pronunciation of "_Dame_".


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## Honour

danielfranco said:
			
		

> En español: Peón, torre, caballo, *alfil*, reina y rey.
> In English: Pawn, castle, rook (or knight), bishop, queen and king.


 
If i am not mistaken, *alfil* is *al fil*  in Arabic which means *the elephant.*


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## Tisia

Tatzingo said:
			
		

> Hi,
> 
> Interesting idea. If there is no queen because queens don't go to war (they just declare it!), then what's a bishop doing there? They don't generally go to war either!
> 
> Old game? I was just wondering how old chess might actually be as a game? 400 hundred years?
> 
> Tatz.


 
I exactly don't know how old chess it is, but many say it dates back to around 6th century. The queen also hasn't been a part of the original chess pieces but came in after chess was transferred to Europe. The bishop idea also maybe comes during this time since bishops were also taking part in making decisions on wars.

Regards
Tisia


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## annah

Chinese:

King -- gúo wáng 國王
Queen -- húang hòu 皇后
Knight -- qí shì 騎士
Bishop -- zhŭ jiào 主教
Pawn -- shì bīng 士兵
  Castle -- chéng băo 城堡


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## übermönch

in russian the names have almost the same meaning as in persian or arabic. The bishop is an elephant, "slon", and the queen is either a queen, "koroleva", or a "ferz", don't know what it means, but it isn't female. Probably an equivalent of a vezir. The rook's a "ladya", a boat.


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## Qcumber

annah said:
			
		

> Chinese:
> 
> King -- gúo wáng 國王
> Queen -- húang hòu 皇后
> Knight -- qí shì 騎士
> Bishop -- zhŭ jiào 主教
> Pawn -- shì bīng 士兵
> Castle -- chéng băo 城堡



I have the impression these terms were coined not that long ago (19th or 20th centuries). The Chinese didn't play chess, but another game that looks like it with more pieces and different rules. The pieces are flat and bear their names in Chinese characters.


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## cherine

> Tatzingo said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Interesting idea. If there is no queen because queens don't go to war (they just declare it!), then what's a bishop doing there? They don't generally go to war either!  _
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tisia said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The queen also hasn't been a part of the original chess pieces but came in after chess was transferred to Europe. The bishop idea also maybe comes during this time since bishops were also taking part in making decisions on wars.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree with Tisia,
This queen and bishop "titles" can be influences of the Crusades (just a very wilde guess).
If we all give a closer look to all the translations, we'll find that the Indian, Persian and Arabic names have nothing to do with queens nor bishops (nor their equivalents in their respective cultures), rather a minister (i.e. counselor) and an elephant (mighty animal used in wars in old times).

Maybe this is more worth of the Cultural forum ? I'm not sure, but I was just struck by the resemblences.


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## Ilmo

Finnish:

1. King = kuningas
2. Queen = kuningatar
3. Bishop = lähetti (=messenger), earlier also: juoksija (=runner)
4. Knight = ratsu (=mount), earlier also: hevonen (=horse)
5. Castle/Rook = torni (=tower)
6. Pawn = sotilas (=soldier), earlier also: talonpoika (=peasant) or moukka (=boor)
The game's name is shakki, which is also written šakki. When you want to say check, you must say "shakki" in Finnish. Checkmate is in Finnish "shakki ja matti", that is, "check and mate".


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## Kraus

In Italian:

King - Re
Queen - Donna, Regina
Bishop - Alfiere
Knight - Cavallo
Rook - Torre
Pawn - pedone

Castle - arrocco
Check - scacco
Checkmate - scacco matto
Draw - patta
Stalemate - stallo


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## panjabigator

CHess pieces are /shatranj ke khiladi/


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## pickypuck

Turk said:


> If i am not mistaken, *alfil* is *al fil* in Arabic which means *the elephant.*


 
Exactly. According to the dictionary it comes from Hispanic Arabic alfíl, from Classical Arabic fīl_,_ from Pahlavi pīl, elephant.

Castling = enroque.
Check = jaque.
Checkmate = jaque mate.
Draw = tablas.
Stalemate = ahogado.

¡Olé!


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## apmoy70

anthodocheio said:


> Greek:
> 3. αξιωματικός (officer)


Just wanted to add that the Bishop is also called 'ο τρελλός' _m_ (o trell*o*s, the crazy one)


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## Perkele

1. King: kuningas
2. Queen: kuningatar, daami (dame)
3. Bishop: lähetti (messenger)
4. Knight: ratsu, hevonen (horse)
5. Rook: torni (tower)
6. Pawn: sotilas (soldier)

E: Ilmo had already posted (more inclusive) Finnish names.


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## dinji

Whodunit said:


> Just a few additions:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Krümelmonster said:
> 
> 
> 
> German:
> 1. König (king)
> 2. Dame (lady)
> 3. Läufer (courser??? runner)
> 4. Pferd/Springer (horse)
> 5. Turm (tower)
> 6. Bauer (peasant farmer)
> 
> Oh, and we say "Schach" (the name of the game )
> 
> 
> 
> We could add "Checkmate!" in every language.
> German: Schach matt!
Click to expand...

Swedish is similar to German:
1. K(on)ung (king)
2. Dam (lady)
3. Löpare (runner)
4. Springare/Häst (runner/horse)
5. Torn (tower)
6. Bonde (peasant)
...and I say "schack!" and "shack matt" (according to my dictonary one could also say "schack och matt".

Interestingly we also have idioms with this word: "_Hålla_ någon/sig _i schack_" = 'restrain'


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## federicoft

Kraus said:


> In Italian:
> 
> King - Re
> Queen - Donna (lady)
> Bishop - Alfiere (standard bearer)
> Knight - Cavallo (horse)
> Rook - Torre (tower)
> Pawn - pedone (pedestrian)


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## Saluton

Russian:

King - *король* (= king)
Queen - *ферзь* (stand-alone word for the chess piece, saying королева (= queen) is considered incorrect)
Bishop - *слон* (= elephant); colloq. *офицер* (= officer)
Knight - *конь* (= (male adult) horse)
Rook - *ладья* (= Russian medieval boat moved by means of oars and sails; also, a poetic word for any kind of boat. Don't know how it came to mean the chess piece)
Pawn - *пешка* (stand-alone word)

check! - *шах!*


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## phosphore

Maja said:


> In Serbian:
> [...]
> Pieces
> 1. King - kralj (краљ)
> 2. Queen - kraljica (краљица), also _dama_
> 3. Bishop - lovac (ловац), also, but rarely,_ laufer_
> 4. Knight - skakač/konj (скакач/коњ)
> 5. Castle - top (топ), also, but rarely, _tvrđava_
> 6. Pawn - pešak/pion (пешак/пион)


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## RaLo18

Hebrew:

Chess- *שחמט* shakhmat
King - *מלך* melekh (=king)
Queen -* מלכה* malka (=queen)
Bishop -* רץ *rats (=runner) 
Knight -*פרש* parash (=horseman)
Rook - *צריח* tsariakh (=spire, tower) *טורה *tura (=spire, tower. From the Spanish torre.)
Pawn - *רגלי* ragli (=infantryman) *חייל *khayal (=soldier)


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## Artidee

Danish:
1. King = Konge (king)
2. Queen = Dronning (queen)
3. Bishop = Løber (runner)
4. Knight = Springer (jumper)
5. Castle/Rook = Tårn (tower)
6. Pawn = Bonde (peasant)


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## Kanes

Bulgarian:

Chess - Шах (king?)
King - Цар (emperor)
Queen - Царица (empress)
Bishop - Офицер (officer)
Knight - Кон (horse)
Rook - Топ (cannon)
Pawn - Пешка (walker?)


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## Δημήτρης

anthodocheio said:


> Greek:
> 
> 1. βασιλιάς (king)
> *2. βασίλισσα (queen)*
> *3. αξιωματικός (officer)*
> 4. άλογο (horse)
> 5. πύργος (tower)
> *6. στρατιωτάκι (little soldier)*
> 
> The other terms are "mat" and "rua-mat" (well it's French and I don't remember how to spell it)
> 
> And the game is "σκάκι" (skaki)= chess
> ---


Also:
2. Ντάμα (fr: Dame)
3. Υπασπιστής (adjutant?)
6. πιόνι  ((Chess) Piece)


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## kcefle

Does anyone know the literary meaning of "springer" in German? Is a springer a "cavalier" or "knight" as in French or English, respectively?

thanks

kcefle


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## jazyk

If you mean the literal meaning, that would be _jumper_. In chess Springer is the knight.


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## Alxmrphi

Icelandic has a similar name to Italian for chess, which is *skák* (Ita: _scacchi_), but also goes by the name* tafl*. The name of the pieces are as follows:

*King*: .....kongur
*Queen*: ..drottning
*Hrókur*: ..castle (c.f. alternative English name:_* rook*_)
*Biskup*: ....bishop (how did you guess  ?)
*Pawn*: .....peð
*Knight*:... riddari


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## Montesacro

Alxmrphi said:


> Icelandic has a similar name to Italian for chess, which is *skák* (Ita: _scacco_ )



The Italian name for chess is _scacchi_ (plural).

_Giocare a scacchi_ = to play chess
_Il gioco degli scacchi_ = the game of chess
_Una partita a scacchi_ = a chess game

_Scacco_ (singular) means check.
_Scacco matto_ means checkmate


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## Alxmrphi

I was thinking of '_scacco matto_' when writing it.
I'll amend my post. Statement is still basically valid though.


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## Orlin

Kanes said:


> Bulgarian:
> 
> Chess - шах (king?), sometimes, predominantly formal style шахмат
> King - цар (emperor)
> Queen - царица (empress), дама (lady)
> Bishop - офицер (officer)
> Knight - кон (horse)
> Rook - топ (cannon), sometimes тур (from French _tour_).
> Pawn - пешка (walker?)


Check = шах.
Checkmate = мат.


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## franknagy

Hi, Everybody:
I suggest you to collect chess terms.
At first:
Chess = sakk in Hungarian.
Pieces:
♔ = király [K]. 
♕ = vezér (officially) [V] , királynő (colloquial).
♘ = huszár (officially)  , ló (colloquial). 
♗= futó [F]. 
♖ = bástya *.
♙= gyalog (officially) [„gy” or empty string], paraszt (colloquial).*


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## dilandlanguage

♔ = şah
♕ = vezir
♘ =at
♗= fil
♖ = kale
♙= piyon

chess: satranç (turkish)


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## Stoggler

Welsh

King = *brenin* or *teyrn* (lit. king and monarch)
Queen = *brenhines* (lit. queen)
Castle = *castell* (lit. castle)
Bishop = *esgob* (lit. bishop)
Knight = *marchog* (lit.knight)
Pawn = *gwerinwr* (lit. peasant)

The name of the game in Welsh is *gwyddbwyll*.  I think that that name originally referred to a totally different game centuries ago but the name was transferred to chess later on)

Check = siach
Checkmate = siachmat


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## franknagy

dilandlanguage said:


> ♔ = şah
> ♕ = vezir
> ♘ =at
> ♗= fil
> ♖ = kale
> ♙= piyon
> 
> chess: satranç (turkkish)


Nice short names.
The Turkish vezir matches with the Hungarian vezér.
On the other hand if we speak about the vezirs of the Turkish and Arab sultans in the history or in the Tales of 1001 Nights, we say "nagyvezír" ="big vezir", with í.


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## Gavril

Armenian (Eastern):

*շախմատ* [šakhmat] or *ճատրակ* [čatrak] - chess

The first is from the same (Persian) source as "checkmate"; the second is apparently from the same source as _shatranj_ (a predecessor game of chess, from a Persian or Indic word meaning "four armies")
*
արքա* [arka] - king
*թագուհի* [takuhi] - queen
*ձի *[dzi] ("horse") - knight
*Փիղ* [figh] ("elephant") - bishop
*նավակ* [navak] ("ship, barge") - castle/rook 
*զինվոր* [zinvor] ("soldier") - pawn

*շախ* [šakh] - check
*շախ եվ մատ* [šakh yev mat] ("check and mate") - checkmate


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## arielipi

RaLo18 said:


> Hebrew:
> 
> Chess- *שחמט* shakhmat
> King - *מלך* melekh (=king)
> Queen -* מלכה* malka (=queen)
> Bishop -* רץ *rats (=runner)
> Knight -*פרש* parash (=horseman)
> Rook - *צריח* tsariakh (=spire, tower) *טורה *tura (=spire, tower. From the Spanish torre.)
> Pawn - *רגלי* ragli (=infantryman) *חייל *khayal (=soldier)


Also for the knight, סוס sus horse.
Also for the pawn, פיון piyon.


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## mundiya

Hindi:

chess = shatraṅj       

♔ = raajaa (king)
♕ = vazeer (minister)
♘ = ghoRaa (horse)
♗= ooṅT (camel)
♖ = haathee (elephant)
♙= pyaadaa (foot soldier)

Check = shah
Checkmate = shahmaat
Stalemate = zich

It's interesting that the piece representing "elephant" in Hindi is different from Turkish (fil) and some other languages.


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## Dib

Bengali:

chess = daba(-khæla)       

♔ = raja (king)
♕ = montri (minister)
♘ = ghoRa (horse)
♗= gɔj (elephant)
♖ = nouka (boat)
♙= boRe (never heard this word in non-chess context)

Check = kisti
Checkmate = kisti-mat
Stalemate = ? (My friends and family use the English word)


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## mundiya

Dib said:


> Stalemate = ? (My friends and family use the English word)



This is also true for Hindi.  I was recently playing with some "youngsters", and zich for stalemate was an unknown to them.  It seems to be going out of date, and the English word is used instead.

In addition, for queen in Hindi, raanii (lit. queen) is more commonly used now than vaziir/mantrii (minister).


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## 810senior

I'm so regretful we don't have own names about chess pieces, we usually call them as same as called in English...

♔ = キングkingu (King)
♕ = クイーンkuiin (Queen)
♘ =ナイトnaito (Knight)
♗= ビショップbishoppu (Bishop)
♖ = ルークruuku (Rook)
♙= ポーンpoon (Pawn)

Chess=チェスchesu
Chess pieces=チェスの駒chesu no koma(pieces of chess)
Checkmate=チェックメイトchekku meito
Stalemate=ステイルメイトsuteiru meito


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## marco_2

In Polish:

Chess = *szachy*

King = *król  
*
Queen *= hetman *(a military commander in 15th- to 18th century Poland)* / królowa *(=queen)* / dama *(= dame)                                                                                                                   

Bishop* = goniec *(= dispatch rider)* / laufer* (from German)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Knight* = skoczek *(= jumper) */ koń *(= horse)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Tower* = wieża* (= tower)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Pawn* = pionek* (= pawn)                                                                                                                                                                       

Chessmate* = szach i mat
*
Stalemate* - pat
*
Perpetual check *= wieczny szach* (= perpetual / eternal check)


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## SuperXW

Qcumber said:


> I have the impression these terms were coined not that long ago (19th or 20th centuries). The Chinese didn't play chess, but another game that looks like it with more pieces and different rules. The pieces are flat and bear their names in Chinese characters.


That's xiangqi 象棋 you are talking about. It is also called Chinese cheese.
Globally, many traditional games are in the same family. According to Wikipedia, there still are chaturanga, shogi, Indian chess and janggi. All of them are more or less similar.
In China, we call "chess" guoji xiangqi 国际象棋, literally "international chess", as to differ it from xiangqi 象棋.
Some scholars argued international chess was originated from Chinese chess, although it is debatable.



annah said:


> Chinese:
> King -- gúo wáng 國王
> Queen -- húang hòu 皇后
> Knight -- qí shì 騎士
> Bishop -- zhŭ jiào 主教
> Pawn -- shì bīng 士兵
> Castle -- chéng băo 城堡



These may be the way they call them in Taiwan? They are direct translations of the English words.
In Mainland China, people reflect the pieces' names to the names in Chinese chess.
King -- 王 "king" (Only this name is different from Chinese chess. It's "general" and "marshal" in Chinese chess.)
Queen -- 后 “queen” (Chinese chess don't have this piece.)
Knight -- 马 "horse"
Bishop -- 相 "minister"
Pawn -- 卒 "pawn"
Castle -- 车 “chariot”


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## marco_2

marco_2 said:


> In Polish:
> Castle / Rook *= wieża* (= tower)  I had to correct myself .


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## SuperXW

In Chinese the word for "elephant" and "minister" pronounce exact the same. In Xiangqi (Chinese chess), the piece for one side would use the pictograph 象 "elephant", and the other side use 相 "minister“, and they perform no different function. In chess, "bishop" is the equivalence for both "elephant" and "minister". So it can be translated in either way.


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## franknagy

marco_2 said:


> Queen *= hetman *(a military commander in 15th- to 18th century Poland)* / królowa *(=queen)* / dama *(= dame)


Which Polish name of queen used in the official chess publications, and which is the colloquial one?


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## apmoy70

To summarize the information given previously concerning Greek:

♔ = *«Βασιλιάς»* [vasiˈʎas] (masc.) --> _king_ < Byz.Gr. *«βασιλέας» basiléas* < Classical Gr. 3rd declension masc. noun *«βασιλεύς» băsĭleús* (nom. sing.), *«βασιλέως» băsĭléōs* (gen. sing.) --> _king_ (with obscure etymology, possibly pre-Greek).
♕ = *«Βασίλισσα»* [vaˈsilisa] (fem.) --> _queen_ < Byz.Gr. fem. *«βασίλισσα» basílissa* < Classical Gr. *«βασίλειᾱ» băsíleiā*, also *«βασίλιννᾱ» băsílinnā*, later *«βασίλισσᾱ» băsílissā* --> _queen_ (the feminine form of _βασιλεύς_; with obscure etymology). Colloquially also *«ντάμα»* [ˈdama] (fem.) < Fr. dame.
♘ = *«Ίππος»* [ˈipos] (masc.) --> _horse_ < Classical masc. & fem. noun *«ἵππος» híppŏs* --> _horse, mare_ (PIE *h₁eḱuo- _horse_ cf Skt.अश्व ‎(áśva), Av. aspa, Lat. equus, Arm. էշ ‎(ēš), _donkey_).
♗= *«Αξιωματικός»* [ak͡si.omatiˈkos] (masc. & fem.) --> _officer, high in rank_ < Classical masc. deverbal nominal *«ἀξιωματικός» ăk͡sĭōmătikós* --> _(adj.) authoritative, axiomatic, (noun) high in rank_ < Classical v. *«ἀξιόω/ἀξιῶ» ăk͡sĭóō* (uncontracted)/*ăk͡sĭô* (contracted) --> _to deem worthy, esteem, require_ (with obscure etymology). Colloquially also *«τρελ(λ)ός»* [treˈlos] (mac.) --> _crazy, insane_ < Byz.Gr. nominal *«τρελ(λ)ός» trelós* --> _crazy, insane_ < possibly from the Classical adj. *«τρήρων» trḗrōn* --> _light, wretched, quick, small_ > later. nominal *«τρηρός» trērós* --> _coward, spineless, recreant_ (PIE *tres- _to tremble_ cf Skt. त्रसति (trasati), _to quiver, be afraid of_, Av. tərəsaiti, Lat. terrēre).
♖ = *«Πύργος»* [ˈpirɣos] (masc.) --> _tower, wall-tower_ < Classical masc. *«πύργος» púrgŏs* (same meanings) possibly of pre-Greek origin.
♙= *«Πιόνι»* ['pçoni] (neut.) < Fr. pion. Also *«στρατιωτάκι»* [strati.oˈtaci] (neut. diminutive) --> _little soldier_ < Classical masc. noun *«στρατιώτης» strătĭṓtēs* --> _warrior, soldier_ < Classical masc. noun *«στρατός» strătós* --> _troop, department of people_ > MoGr *«στρατός»* [straˈtos] (masc.) --> _army_ (PIE *ster- _to camp, spread out_ cf Skt. स्तृणोति (stṛṇoti), _to spread out/about, scatter_).


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## WestFevalia

It's very interesting to see that what we call _bishop_ in English and _fou_ in French is an elephant in other countries (usually the countries where chess was invented). According to Wikipédia, the French word _fou_ is a distortion of _foule_, which was derived from Persian فیل (_fîl_), elephant. But I remember I once saw a very old chess board and the tower was an elephant bearing a tower on its back!


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## 123xyz

Macedonian:

chess - шах

king - крал (king)
queen - кралица (queen)
bishop - ловец/генерал* (hunter/general)
knight - коњ (horse)
rook - топ (cannon)
pawn - пион/пешак (pawn/pedestrian)

*rarer

stalemate - пат (plain loanword; coincidentally homonymous with "пат" meaning "way, road, time")
draw - реми (plain loanword)
checkmate - шах-мат (plain loanword)
castling; castling short, castling long - рокада (plain loanword); мала рокада, голема рокада (lit. "small castling", "big castling")


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## Penyafort

WestFevalia said:


> It's very interesting to see that what we call _bishop_ in English and _fou_ in French is an elephant in other countries (usually the countries where chess was invented). According to Wikipédia, the French word _fou_ is a distortion of _foule_, which was derived from Persian فیل (_fîl_), elephant. But I remember I once saw a very old chess board and the tower was an elephant bearing a tower on its back!



Well, I'd say it is quite obvious that the game entered Western Europe from the Arabo-Persian world via Iberia and Italy, specially paying attention to that chess piece.
*
Persian:*_ پیل pīl _'elephant'
From it:
*
Arabic:* _الفيل al-fīl_ 'the elephant'
From it:
*
Catalan: *_alfil _(attested in the 13th century)
*Spanish:* _alfil _(attested in the 13th century)
*Portuguese:* _alfil_, or the deviation _delfim _(nowadays I think _bispo _'bishop' is more common, though)
*Italian:* _alfiere _(probable corruption of an older _alfiro_)

From these Romance languages, we get _alfin _(and _aufin_) in French and English, forms which would change in the 16th century to other 'figures of the court' or related, such as the _bishop _in English or the jester (_fou_) in French.​


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## CyrusSH

Persian:

♔ = Shah 
♕ = Farzin 
♘ = Asb
♗= Pil
♖ = Rokh
♙= Piadeh

Check = Kish
Checkmate = Kishmat


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