discovered check

8.8

A check on the opponent's king that happens when one piece moves and opens an attack by another piece

noun

Jargon

: jaque descubierto

She set up a discovered check by moving her bishop out of the way.

Examples

He won the game with a brilliant discovered check that left his opponent stunned.
A discovered check can be especially dangerous if the attacking piece is a queen or rook.
He executed a brilliant discovered check during the match.
The opponent fell into a trap with a discovered check.
He won the game with a brilliant discovered check that left his opponent stunned.
A discovered check can be especially dangerous if the attacking piece is a queen or rook.
She set up a discovered check by moving her bishop out of the way.

Synonyms

check

vsdiscovered check

Jargon

2 5.4

A situation where the king is under attack and must be defended immediately

is caused when a moved piece uncovers an attack by another piece

Surface Forms

discovered check singular

discovered checks plural

Morphology

discovered + check

The phrase pairs 'discovered' (uncovered/revealed) with 'check' (a chess attack), so a learner who knows both words can plausibly infer it denotes a check that is revealed or uncovered. However, the exact tactical mechanism (that one piece moves to uncover another piece's attack) is chess-specific and not fully predictable from general vocabulary alone, so partial inference but not complete transparency.

Etymology

Discovered check comes from a simple chess picture: one piece moves away and discovers another piece attacking the king, like pulling back a curtain to show a hidden threat. So a discovered check means 'a check' that happens because a piece moved and opened the attack from another piece.