What is Desperado in chess?
A piece that is going to be captured anyway, so it grabs as much material as possible before it dies.
Rather than waiting to be taken for free, the piece makes a capture of its own first - maximizing what you get before the exchange is completed.
Spot desperado in your own games
Free. Chess2EZ finds the patterns you keep missing and explains each in plain English.
Analyze my games →More chess terms
- InterferencePlacing a piece on a square to cut the communication between two enemy pieces.
- Clearance sacrificeSacrificing a piece to vacate a square or line so another piece can use it.
- Trapped pieceA piece with no safe squares to move to - it can be won for free or cheaply.
- Hanging pieceAn undefended piece that can be captured for free.
- En priseA French phrase meaning a piece is in a position to be captured.
- Smothered mateCheckmate by a knight when the king is boxed in by its own pieces.