chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

, a cross-check (or counter-check) is a

tactic Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to: * Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks ** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield ** Chess tactics ** Political tacti ...

in which a

check Check or cheque, may refer to: Places * Check, Virginia Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Check'' (film), a 2021 Indian Telugu-language film * "The Check" (''The Amazing World of Gumball''), a 2015 episode of ''The Amazing World of Gumball'' ...

is played in response to a check, especially when the original check is blocked by a piece that itself either delivers check or reveals a

discovered check In chess, a discovered attack is a direct attack revealed when one piece moves out of the way of another. Discovered attacks can be extremely powerful, as the piece moved can make a threat independently of the piece it reveals. Like many chess t ...

from another piece. Sometimes the term is extended to cover cases in which the

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

moves out of check and reveals a

from another piece (this is also known as a ''royal check''); it does not generally apply to cases where the original checking piece is captured. The cross-check is an essential tactic in winning some endgames such as those with two

queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

versus one, or a queen and pawn versus a queen. In these cases, the defense usually tries for a

perpetual check In the game of chess, perpetual check is a situation in which one player can play an unending series of checks from which the defending player cannot escape. This typically arises when the player who is checking feels their position in the game i ...

and sometimes the stronger side can stop it only by a cross-check.

Examples

A cross-check occurs from time to time in games. It is an essential

in winning endgames such as two

versus one queen, or queen and

pawn Pawn most often refers to: * Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numerous chess piece in the game * Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral Pawn or The Pawn may also refer to: Places * Pa ...

versus queen, where it is used to stop a series of checks from the opponent and force the

exchange Exchange or exchanged may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Exchange (film), or ''Deep Trap'', 2015 South Korean psychological thriller * Exchanged (film), 2019 Peruvian fantasy comedy * Exchange (TV program), 2021 Sou ...

of queens. It is also used in some

chess problem A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle created by the composer using chess pieces on a chessboard, which presents the solver with a particular task. For instance, a position may be given with the instruction that White is t ...

Botvinnik vs. Minev game

Cross-checks are rare in actual play, though they do occur, and in some endgames, particularly

queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

endgames, they are very important. The position shown to the right is the final position in the famous queen endgame from the game between

Mikhail Botvinnik Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (; ; – May 5, 1995) was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster who held five world titles in three different reigns. The sixth World Chess Champion, he also worked as an electrical engineer and computer sci ...

and

Nikolay Minev Nikolay (or Nikolai) Nikolaev Minev (, 8 November 1931 – 10 March 2017) was a Bulgarian chess International Master (IM) and noted chess author. Minev was born on 8 November 1931, in Rousse, Bulgaria. He was awarded the IM title by FIDE in 196 ...

, Amsterdam Olympiad, 1954. In the position shown, after 91. Kc5!!, Black

resigned Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...

because the promising looking checks 91...Qc7+, 91...Qg1+, 91...Qf2+ and 91...Qc2+ are answered by the cross-checks 92.Qc6+, 92.Qd4+, 92.Qd4+ and 92.Qc4+ respectively, forcing an exchange of queens in all cases, which will result in the

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

of the

and winning the game by a basic

checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

. This is an important theme in queen endgames: the weaker side often gives a series of checks, and it is frequently important for them to avoid simplifying cross-checks such as these in reply , . If the black queen attacks the pawn instead of checking it does no good since the promotion square of the pawn is protected by its queen. Note too that if Black instead merely allows the pawn's promotion, another cross-check may be necessary to win, as in the next section.

Two queens versus one

In the position on the left from Botvinnik–Ravinsky,Botvinnik vs. Ravinsky
/ref> Black resigned. With best play according to the

endgame tablebase In chess, the endgame tablebase, or simply the tablebase, is a computerised database containing precalculated evaluations of chess endgame, endgame positions. Tablebases are used to analyse finished games, as well as by chess engines to evaluate ...

, 126...Kb3 127.Qf7+ Ka4 128.g8=Q Qg4+ 129.Kh6 Qh4+ 130.Kg7 Qg3+ 131.Kf8 Qd6+ 132.Qe7 Qh6+ 133.Qgg7 Qf4+ 134.Qgf7 Qb8+ and the position on the right is reached. Then the cross-check 135.Qee8+ (or Qfe8+)

forks In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from 'pitchfork') is a Eating utensil, utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tine (structural), tines with whic ...

the king and queen, forces an exchange, and wins the game.

Anderson problem, 1919

Cross-checks are relatively infrequent in actual play, but are popular in

s since they make for a relatively unobvious solution. In the problem shown to the right, White is to move and mate in two moves against any defence. It is by G.F. Anderson and was first published in ''Il Secolo'' in 1919. The key 1.Kd6, threatening 2.Qb7#, gives the black king two

flight square In chess, a flight square or escape square is a safe square to which a piece, especially a king, can move if it is threatened. Providing one's piece with flight squares can prevent the opponent from winning material or delivering checkmate. For ...

s, and two of the variations exploit these: 1...Kb6 2.Bc2# and 1...Kb4 2.Kxc6#. The other two defences exploit the fact that the key exposes the white king to checks, and are answered by cross-checks: 1...Rg6+ 2.Be6# and 1...Rd3+ 2.Bd5#.

Anderson problem, 1961

The problem to the right, also by G. F. Anderson (first published in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' in 1961) and also a mate in two, features no fewer than five cross-checks. The key is 1.Qb6 (threat: 2.Ne4#), with the following variations: :1...exf6+ 2.Nb7# :1...exd6+ 2.Nd7# :1...Nd4+ 2.Rf5# :1...Nxd6+ 2.Nd3# :1...Nf-other+ 2.Ne4# :1...Kxf6 2.Qb2# :1...Kxd6 2.Rd4#

References

Bibliography * * *

External links

Three successive cross-checks in a game
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross-Check Chess terminology Chess problems Chess tactics