Chess Glossary : Section R

Raking Bishops
Two Bishops sitting on adjacent diagonals are sometimes referred to as Raking Bishops, but they’re also known as Harrwitz Bishops.

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Rank
Each of the horizontal rows, numbered 1, at the front of the board (where White’s King starts the game) – to 8, at the rear – (where Black’s King starts the game).

Rapid Chess
A quick game of chess where times are usually limited to 30 minutes per player.

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Rating
Also called “Rankings” and refers to a numerical value used to guage the relative strength of a Chess player … A higher value = a better player.

Refute
Also known as a “Bust”, it’s when a player shows that an Opening sequence, move, or strategy isn’t as sound as previously thought – so, they Refute it. Usually, the position that had been considered sound, turns out to lead to a loss. Former World Chess Champion, Bobby Fischer refuted the opening known as the King’s Gambit, which he said was “Bust“.

Related Squares
Also known as Corresponding Squares, Sister Squares and Coordinate Squares, the Relative Squares can sometimes be seen in the Endgame phase and are squares that can result in reciprocal zugzwang.

Relative Fork
A specific type of Fork (Chess Tactic) where a Pawn or Piece attacks two enemy pieces, from a single square, but excluding the enemy King.

Relative Pin
A specific type of Pin (Chess Tactic) that attacks a less-valuable enemy Pawn or Piece, which sits in front of, thus protecting, a more-valuable Piece.

Relative Skewer
A specific type of Skewer (Chess Tactic) that attacks a more-valuable enemy Piece, which sits in front of, thus protecting, a less-valuable Piece or Pawn (the actual target).

Resign
1. The Chess Glossary Team don’t need any encouragement, thank you very much.
2. An option to end any game prematurely, should a player realize he’s going to lose … No point in wasting anybody’s time; Resign like a good chap and get on with the next game.

Reverse Salient
When you have three Pawns on adjacent files, on the same Rank, and then the outer two Pawns step forward, to form a v-shape in the direction they’re traveling, the three Pawns are said to be in a Reverse Salient formation.

Romantic Style
1. Referring to an era of Chess, during the 1800s, when it was thought of as cowardly to refuse the capture, if offered as a Sacrifice … To play just for position was seen as a disgrace – only Attacks and Sacrifices were worthy objectives.
2. Like a proper day’s work, the Chess Glossary Team don’t do Romantic very well.

Rook Chess Piece
The piece that most often looks like a castle … Your Rooks operate along straight lines (forward/back, left/right); they CANNOT move along diagonal lines, so beware threats, in particular, sneaky long-range efforts from your opponent’s Bishops and Queen … On the flip side, be on the lookout for such positional weaknesses of your opponent, whereby you may threaten to capture either of the enemy Rooks, instead.

Rook Lift
This simply involves moving – ‘Lifting’ – a Rook off its starting point, on the back-row, so that it’s free from being blocked by the front-line of Pawns, so that you can move it to a new File (e.g. from ‘a’ to ‘h’, or vice versa), in order to support an attack.

Rooks On The 7th Rank
The title says it all … Getting a Rook to the 7th Rank is often devastating – for the enemy – as it can attack all the remaining, enemy Pawns, from their weak sides or from behind.

Rook Pawn
Descriptive term for the Pawns that sit on the same Files where the Rooks start each game. That is, the Pawns on the a-File and h-File, respectively.

Round-robin Tournament
A type of chess tournament where each player has to play every other player, once. If they have to play each other twice, it’s known as a Double Round-Robin Tournament.

Royal Fork
1. Knicked from Buckingham Palace, hawked on eBay for a cheeky ton.
2. A Chess Fork Attack against the King and Queen.

Rule of the Square
During the Endgame phase, when there are no other Pieces to help out, the Rule of the Square helps determine whether a King can catch an enemy Pawn, before it reaches its Promotion square.