Meaning & use
discovered check
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
In chess, a check in which one piece moves away and so uncovers an attack on the king by another piece.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a discovered check' or 'two discovered checks'.
Patterns
- deliver a discovered check
- a discovered check on the king
He moved his knight, giving a discovered check with the bishop behind it.
The discovered check forced the king to move, and then she captured the queen.
A discovered check is often stronger than an ordinary check because the moving piece can also attack something.
Word forms
| plural | discovered checks |
|---|
Common combinations
- give a discovered check
- White gave a discovered check by moving the rook.
- deliver a discovered check
- She delivered a discovered check and won the game.
- a discovered check on the king
- The bishop gave a discovered check on the king.
- double check
- A double check is even more powerful than a discovered check.
Synonyms and how they differ
- discovery
- In chess, 'discovery' means the same, but it is less common and can also refer to other kinds of uncovered attacks.
Word family
Commonly confused: discovered check or double check?
discovered check vs double check
A double check is when two pieces give check at the same time, often after a discovered check, but the terms are not the same.
Practice
In chess, what is a discovered check?
Choose one answer.
A discovered check happens when one piece moves out of the way, uncovering an attack by another piece. Option 0 describes a double check, which is different.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “discovered check”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.