General Terms

What is a forced move in chess?

  • Concept
  • Vocabulary
  • Chess

Forced move is a chess vocabulary term: the only legal move in a position, or the only move which does not result in an immediate loss or serious disadvantage. Compare forcing move. Use it as vocabulary, but always ask what it changes about the position or the game situation.

forced move FAQ

What is a forced move in chess?

Forced move is a chess vocabulary term: the only legal move in a position, or the only move which does not result in an immediate loss or serious disadvantage. Compare forcing move. Use it as vocabulary, but always ask what it changes about the position or the game situation.

Train this pattern on your own games

Reading a definition is not the same as spotting the pattern with a clock running. Chessiro's free game review runs Stockfish 18 over every move you play, names the concept behind each mistake, and turns the positions where it cost you into training puzzles. You can also see the idea in action in the classic games collection, where the greatest players in history demonstrate it.

Related terms

Free game review

See where forced move decides your games

Chessiro reviews your games with an AI coach that names the concept behind every mistake, then drills you on the exact positions where it happened until you stop repeating them.