Pieces & Activity

What does frame mean in chess?

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In chess, frame refers to a square region of the board enclosing another region not part of the given frame, akin to a picture frame. Also referred to as a ring. The outer frame consists of the 28 squares along the edge of the board, the middle frame consists of the 20 squares just inside the outer frame, and the inner frame consists of the 12 squares just inside the middle frame.

Frame FAQ

What does frame mean in chess?

In chess, frame refers to a square region of the board enclosing another region not part of the given frame, akin to a picture frame. Also referred to as a ring. The outer frame consists of the 28 squares along the edge of the board, the middle frame consists of the 20 squares just inside the outer frame, and the inner frame consists of the 12 squares just inside the middle frame.

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 PGN analysis runs Stockfish 19 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.

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