Breakdown of Следующий ход ферзём — это мат.
это
this / it is
следующий
next
ход
the move
ферзь
the queen
мат
the checkmate
Questions & Answers about Следующий ход ферзём — это мат.
Why is the instrumental case used for ферзём?
In Russian chess terminology, the piece you are moving is placed in the instrumental case. You can think of it as making a move "by means of" or "using" the queen.
Since a queen is female in English, why does ферзь take the masculine instrumental ending -ём?
The Russian word ферзь historically comes from a Persian word meaning "vizier" or "counselor," which was a male role. It is a grammatically masculine noun, so it declines like a masculine word ending in a soft sign.
Why do we need the dash and the word это before мат?
When equating two nouns in the nominative case (here, ход and мат), Russian omits the present-tense verb "is" and uses a dash in writing. Adding это after the dash is extremely common and natural, serving to smoothly link the two concepts.
Does the word мат have other meanings outside of chess?
Yes. While it means "checkmate" in chess, in everyday Russian, мат is also the standard word for profanity or foul language. Context makes it clear which one is meant.
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