checkmate

/'tʃek'meit/

Thân thiện

The chess player declares checkmate with a confident smile.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A chess move that puts the opponent's king in an inescapable position: In chess, "checkmate" is the final move that attacks the king in a way from which it cannot escape, ending the game.
   • A complete and decisive defeat or victory: More generally, "checkmate" can describe a situation where someone or something is utterly defeated or a plan is completely thwarted.

2. Verb:

   • To move a piece in chess to put the opponent's king in an inescapable position: This action ends the chess game.
   • To defeat completely or render powerless: To bring about a situation where an opponent, plan, or argument has no possible response or escape.

Examples of Usage

• Noun: He announced "checkmate" after moving his queen, winning the game.The new evidence was a checkmate to the prosecution's argument, forcing them to drop the case.

• Verb: She skillfully checkmated her opponent in just twenty moves.The clever political maneuver effectively checkmated the rival party's proposal.

Advanced Usage

• "To be in checkmate": To be in a position of complete defeat with no options. After the scandal, the CEO's position was in checkmate, and he had to resign.

• "To call checkmate": To declare victory, often prematurely or figuratively. He thought he had called checkmate on the debate, but his opponent had a surprising counter-argument.

Variants and Related Words

• Check (noun/verb): In chess, a move that attacks the king but from which it can escape. More generally, a halt or verification. He put the king in check, forcing it to move.

• Stalemate (noun): A chess position where the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves, resulting in a draw. Often used to describe a deadlock. The negotiations reached a stalemate, with neither side willing to compromise.

Synonyms

• Noun: Defeat, conquest, rout, coup de grâce.
• Verb: Defeat, beat, vanquish, thwart, foil.

Related Phrases

• "Checkmate in X moves": A chess problem or situation where a player can force a win in a specified number of moves.

Related Idioms

• "It's checkmate": Used to declare that a situation is conclusively settled or someone is definitively beaten.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a chess move constituting an inescapable and indefensible attack on the opponent's king
2. complete victory

Verb

1. place an opponent's king under an attack from which it cannot escape and thus ending the game
   • Kasparov checkmated his opponent after only a few moves

Từ đồng nghĩa

• mate