Check - What is it?

Check occurs when a king is being attacked. If you already know what check is but need to learn more about what to do when your king is being attacked, be sure to check out (no pun intended) the What to Do When You Are In Check page. While attacking a king is an important goal, you do not win until a checkmate is achieved. Below are a few different checks that have occured in past chess games:

Example # Board Explained Notation
1
  • The queen is checking the king
  • The king is checked by the queen
  • There is a check on the board
 Qf3+
2
  • The knight is checking the king
  • The king is checked by the knight
  • There is a check on the board
 Nxc2+
3
  • The knight is checking the king.
  • The king is checked by the knight.
  • There is a check on the board
 Ne5+
4
  • The queen is checking the king.
  • The king is being checked by the queen.
  • There is a check on the board
 Qg4+