What Are the Official Names of Chess Pieces?

Pawn

• The pawns, of which there are eight, are the soldiers on the front line. They are the first line of defense and their name derives from the word Anglo-French word poun. Poun has its roots in the Arabic world, and translates from the word baidaq, meaning foot soldier.

Rook

• This piece usually resembles a tower or castle, and is sometimes called the castle, though its official name is rook. The word rook derives from European words for tower: in Spanish it is torre; in Finnish it is torni; in French it is tour. This piece is powerful; it can move up to seven spaces either horizontally or vertically, though it must have a clear path.

Knight

• The horse shaped piece is the knight. The word for this piece in French is cavalier, and actually means rider. The Finnish word is ratsu, which translates as horse with rider. The English word knight refers to a specific kind of rider, the recognized knight in armor.

Bishop

• This piece resembles the tall rounded hats of the clergy. The many words for this piece include the Finnish word lahatti, meaning messenger and the German word laufer meaning runner. In Indonesia, this piece is the gajah, meaning elephant.

King

• The word king is derived from the Persian word Shah, meaning king. In most languages, this piece is identified as king in the native language, but the Japanese use the word kingu, which is a bastardization of the English word king. Kingu is not the equivalent of king, but rather a substitute for it.

Queen

• The word for Queen is generally feminine, though this does not hold true in all languages. The Arabic word used for this piece is firz or firzan, meaning counselor. In Italian, the queen is called donna, which simply means woman, or regina, which translates to queen. In chess, the queen will be sacrificed to prevent the king from checkmate.