The Ultimate Vocabulary Guide to Chess in Spanish
Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, this incredible guide to chess in Spanish is a must for you!
In this vocabulary guide, you will find how to say chess in Spanish, the meaning of the pieces, the commands you need to instruct others, and much more!
Chessboard – (El tablero de ajedrez)
If you want to play a game right, you need to know all the pieces it includes. Here is a vocabulary guide to the chess set in Spanish, names of the pieces, and more:
Chessboard Vocabulary
| English | Spanish |
| chess | el ajedrez |
| chessboard | el tablero |
| chess game | el juego de ajedrez |
| chess pieces | las piezas de ajedrez |
| chess players | ajedrecistas or los jugadores de ajedrez |
| chess set | el set de ajedrez |
| square | la casilla |
| the bishop | el alfil |
| the king | el rey |
| the knight | el caballo |
| the pawn | el peón |
| the rook | la torre |
| the queen | la dama |
Encourage Your Friends
With these awesome phrases, you can get your Spanish-speaking friends to enjoy a game of chess with you!
¿Juegas ajedrez?
Do you play chess?
Deberíamos jugar ajedrez alguna vez.
We should play chess sometime.
Me gusta jugar ajedrez.
I like to play chess.
Deberías inscribirte en un torneo.
You should sign up for a tournament.
¿Quieres jugar ajedrez conmigo?
Do you want to play chess with me?
Déjame explicar las instrucciones.
Let me explain the instructions.
Introducing the Pieces
To play chess, you need to know all about the pieces and how to place them on the board, here are words and phrases in Spanish that will help you out!
Cada jugador empieza con dieciséis piezas en el tablero.
Each player begins with sixteen pieces on the chessboard.
Number of Pieces in a Game
Las piezas tienen diferentes valores.
Pieces have different values.
Value of the Pieces
| English | Spanish |
| a bishop is worth 3 points | un alfil vale 3 puntos |
| a knight is worth 3 points | un caballo vale 3 puntos |
| a pawn is worth 1 point | un peón vale 1 punto |
| a queen is worth 9 points | una reina vale 9 puntos |
| a rook is worth 5 points | una torre vale 5 puntos |
| the king is infinitely valuable | el rey tiene valor infinito |
Facts About the Pieces in Spanish
Ocho peones ocupan la segunda fila.
Eight pawns occupy the second row.
Las torres van en las esquinas.
The rooks go in the corners.
Los caballos van al lado de las torres.
The knights go beside the rooks.
Los alfiles van al lado de los caballos.
The bishops go beside the knights.
La dama es la pieza más poderosa de todas.
The queen is the most powerful piece of all.
El rey es la pieza más importante en el ajedrez.
The king is the most important piece in chess.
Chess Rules in Spanish
Here are the instructions on how to play chess in Spanish so you can explain them to your friends and begin the tournaments!
Moving the Pieces (Moviendo las piezas)
So, how do I explain why pieces move the way they do? Here are the objectives of moving pieces and how to say them in Spanish!
Las piezas se mueven para:
Pieces move in order to:
1. Capturar una pieza rival.
To capture a rival piece.
2. Defender las piezas de su propio bando para evitar su captura.
To defend their own pieces from being captured.
3. Controlar las casillas importantes del tablero.
To control the important squares on the board.
Check out the verbs about chess moves you need to explain how to play chess.
1. To move (Mover)
El peón se mueve sólo hacia adelante.
The pawn only moves forward.
El caballo se mueve dibujando una letra “L” en el tablero.
The knight moves, drawing a letter “L” on the chessboard.
2. To capture (Capturar)
El peón sólo captura en diagonal.
The pawn only captures diagonally.
El alfil puede capturar una pieza enemiga moviéndose a su casilla.
The bishop can capture an enemy piece by moving to that piece’s square.
El caballo captura una pieza si este se mueve a su casilla.
The knight captures a piece if it hovers to its square.
3. To hover (Desplazar)
El alfil puede desplazarse en diagonal varias veces.
The bishop can hover diagonally several times.
La torre puede desplazarse en línea recta.
The rook can hover in a straight line.
La torre puede desplazarse horizontal o verticalmente.
The rook can hover horizontally or vertically.
El rey sólo puede desplazarse a una casilla en cualquier dirección.
The king can only hover one square in any direction.
La dama puede desplazarse en el tablero con mayor libertad.
The queen can hover over the chessboard more freely than the other pieces.
4. To occupy (Ocupar)
Las cuatro torres ocupan las esquinas del tablero.
The four rooks occupy the corners of the chessboard.
5. To jump over (Saltar)
El caballo es la única pieza que puede saltar a otras piezas.
The knight is the only piece that can jump over other pieces.
How To Win (¿Cómo ganar?)
Here we have some expressions to talk about how to win a chess game in Spanish.
1. Checkmate (Jaque mate)
El objetivo del juego es dar jaque mate al rey adversario.
The objective of the game is to checkmate the opponent’s king.
Si un rey no puede escapar del jaque, la partida terminal.
If the king cannot get out of check, the game ends.
El rey puede escapar del jaque si captura a la pieza que lo amenaza.
The king can get out of check if it captures the piece that threatens it.
2. Draw a Game (Empatar una partida)
Hay empate si el rey no está en jaque pero no puede hacer ningún otro Movimiento.
There is a draw if the king is not in check but it cannot make another move either.
Hay empate si no hay suficientes piezas en el tablero para forzar un jaque mate.
There is a draw if there are not enough pieces on the chessboard to checkmate.
Hay empate si ha habido cincuenta movimientos consecutivos sin mover peones o capturar piezas.
There is a draw if there have been fifty consecutive moves without moving a pawn or capturing pieces.
Special Rules of Chess
Every game has its little quirks—here are some special rules of chess in Spanish!
Promotion (La coronación)
Si los peones llegan al otro extremo del tablero, se pueden convertir en cualquier otra pieza.
If the pawns get to the other end of the chessboard, they can turn into any other piece.
En Passant (Capturar al paso)
Si un peón avanza en su primer movimiento y cae al lado de un peón oponente, este puede capturar al primero.
If a pawn moves forward during its first movement and lands beside an opponent pawn, the opponent can capture the first one.
Castling (El enroque)
El enroque permite situar al rey en una posición segura.
Castling allows you to place the king in a safe position.
El enroque permite sacar a la torre de su esquina.
Castling allows you to take the rook out of its corner.
More Special Rules
Si las piezas capturan una pieza rival, su movimiento terminal.
If the pieces capture a rival piece, their movement is over.
Las torres y los alfiles pueden protegerse mutuamente.
The rooks and bishops can protect each other.
Basic Strategies in Spanish
We have outlined some estrategias for you to become the best chess player and beat your Spanish-speaking friends!
1. Protect the King (Proteger al rey)
La esquina es el lugar más seguro para el rey.
The corner is the safest place for the king.
2. Take Care of Every Piece (Cuidar cada pieza)
Todas las piezas son útiles para dar un jaque mate.
Every piece is useful to checkmate.
3. Focus On the Center of the Board (Concentrarse en el centro del tablero)
Si controlas el centro, tienes más espacio para mover tus piezas.
If you control the center, you have more space to move your pieces.
4. Use All Your Pieces (Utilizar todas las piezas)
Si desplazas todas tus piezas, es más fácil atacar al rey.
If you hover all your pieces, it is easier to attack the king.
Where to Play Chess (¿Dónde juego ajedrez?)
Those who play chess surely want a place where they can show off their amazing abilities! Here are some activities that gather chess players to compete and find out who is the best.
Chess Activities
| English | Spanish |
| championship | el campeonato |
| chess club | el club de ajedrez |
| competition | la competencia |
| online chess game | el juego de ajedrez en línea |
| tournament | el torneo |
Example Sentences
Quisiera participar en un campeonato nacional.
I would like to participate in a national championship.
Yo estuve en el club de ajedrez de mi escuela.
I was in the chess club at my school.
Me gustan más los juegos de ajedrez en línea.
I like online chess games better.
Chess Slang in Spanish
Just like every game, chess also has some special terms you must understand to play it!
Check them out here.
- pieza menor – minor piece
- pieza mayor – mayor piece
- está en jaque – in check
- ahogado – stalemate
Example Sentences
El rey está en jaque cuando otra pieza lo amenaza directamente.
The king is in check when another piece threatens it directly.
El peón es una pieza menor.
The pawn is a minor piece.
El rey que no puede moverse pero no está en jaque se llama “ahogado.”
The king that cannot move but is not in check is “stalemate.”
Chess Variants
If you are one of the experts, you surely know much more than the classic game of chess. Here are some chess variants and their names in Spanish:
1. ajedrez 960 – chess 960
2. ajedrez de 4 jugadores – 4 player chess
3. ajedrez atómico – atomic chess
4. ajedrez solitario – solitaire chess
Chess Books
Eager to learn more about chess in Spanish? Here is a list of books filled with instructions and lessons to step up your chess game and practice your Spanish while you are at it!
- Curso completo de ajedrez by Miguel Illescas
- Curso de ajedrez (Colección) by Carlos Bernard
- Estrategia en el ajedrez by Miguel Illescas
Check out more titles here Los 5 mejores libros de ajedrez para principiantes
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