Condensed summary of the playing field:
(1) Monster Zone - You summon monsters here.
(2) Spell/Trap Zone - You set or activate Spell and Trap cards (or Pendulum scales) here.
(3) Field Zone - This is where Field Spells go (Spells which affect both players as long as the card remains face-up on the field).
(4) Graveyard - This is where the cards go when they get sent to the Graveyard (GY) or destroyed.
(5) Extra Deck - Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz monsters (here I list them in order of era) go here. This is where specially-summoned monsters come from. This is also where destroyed Pendulum monsters go (face-up).
(6) Deck - Draw cards from here into your Hand.
(7) Link Zone - You'd place your Link monsters here, but otherwise, fusion-summoned, synchro-summoned, or Xyz-summoned monsters go here first until they leave the field (after which they return to zone (1) each time they return).
For a detailed overview of the Yu-Gi-Oh! playing field, see here:
http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Field
(1) Monster Zone - You summon monsters here.
(2) Spell/Trap Zone - You set or activate Spell and Trap cards (or Pendulum scales) here.
(3) Field Zone - This is where Field Spells go (Spells which affect both players as long as the card remains face-up on the field).
(4) Graveyard - This is where the cards go when they get sent to the Graveyard (GY) or destroyed.
(5) Extra Deck - Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz monsters (here I list them in order of era) go here. This is where specially-summoned monsters come from. This is also where destroyed Pendulum monsters go (face-up).
(6) Deck - Draw cards from here into your Hand.
(7) Link Zone - You'd place your Link monsters here, but otherwise, fusion-summoned, synchro-summoned, or Xyz-summoned monsters go here first until they leave the field (after which they return to zone (1) each time they return).
For a detailed overview of the Yu-Gi-Oh! playing field, see here:
http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Field
The following keywords may be important to the full understanding of PSCT discussions, and are defined below. Also, see the following video by Cimoooooooo for another great overview!
Activation – When a card or its effect (see Effect) has been declared to come into play, but before it can do so. Generally, a condition must be satisfied in the card text before said activation can occur, called an activation Cost.
Chain – To activate a card (or effect, if the card is already in play) in response to an effect that can be responded to. This extends the Chain and creates a Chain Link. The cards in the Chain Link proceed as ‘last in, first out’.
Cost – A requirement that must be paid by the relevant player in order to proceed to the card’s or effect’s activation (see Effect).
Counter – A way to keep track of how many of something is placed onto a face-up card. Sometimes these are considered when triggering a card effect, or while carrying out a continuous effect.
Deck – The location from which the turn player can normally draw cards.
Destroy – To move a card to the Graveyard, except in cases where the card was out of play and moved back to the Graveyard or where the Deck has been switched with the Graveyard.
Effect – An event that may proceed after a card’s activation conditions have been met (whatever those may be). If the effect is not negated, it will proceed (see Negate).
Extra Deck – The location that special cards are placed instead of in the Main Deck (see Deck), from which, only after meeting certain conditions, they can be summoned (see Summon).
Field – The main location in which most card interactions occur in Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Graveyard – A location that cards normally go upon being destroyed.
Hand – The location to which drawn cards may normally move after being drawn from the Deck.
Monster – One of three general card types with stats like Attack and Defense, and it may or may not have effects(s).
Negate – To stop an effect from being able to proceed at the time it was about to come into play.
Out of play – Now called ‘banished’. The card is no longer on the field, nor is it in the Graveyard, hand, or Deck.
Resolve – When an effect or sequence of effects has successfully proceeded, and the next effect(s), where applicable, is/are allowed to proceed.
Send – To remove something from its current location and place it somewhere else. This is considered different from destroying, and cards (or effects) that require destruction as a condition to occur cannot respond to this event.
Set – To place a card face-down on the field.
Special Summon – To bring a monster onto the field, usually face-up, in addition to the one Normal Summon or Set allowed per turn. This can be done multiple times per turn, if possible.
Spell – One of three general card types, colored green. Typically these can be activated without waiting for the next turn, if the timing is right.
Summon – To bring a monster onto the field, face-up.
Target – To choose or select a card for an effect to proceed with.
Trap – One of three general card types, colored purple. Typically these cannot be activated the turn they were Set, unless something in the card text specifies otherwise.
Tribute – To send from the field to the Graveyard as a cost, typically to summon or activate an effect.
Chain – To activate a card (or effect, if the card is already in play) in response to an effect that can be responded to. This extends the Chain and creates a Chain Link. The cards in the Chain Link proceed as ‘last in, first out’.
Cost – A requirement that must be paid by the relevant player in order to proceed to the card’s or effect’s activation (see Effect).
Counter – A way to keep track of how many of something is placed onto a face-up card. Sometimes these are considered when triggering a card effect, or while carrying out a continuous effect.
Deck – The location from which the turn player can normally draw cards.
Destroy – To move a card to the Graveyard, except in cases where the card was out of play and moved back to the Graveyard or where the Deck has been switched with the Graveyard.
Effect – An event that may proceed after a card’s activation conditions have been met (whatever those may be). If the effect is not negated, it will proceed (see Negate).
Extra Deck – The location that special cards are placed instead of in the Main Deck (see Deck), from which, only after meeting certain conditions, they can be summoned (see Summon).
Field – The main location in which most card interactions occur in Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Graveyard – A location that cards normally go upon being destroyed.
Hand – The location to which drawn cards may normally move after being drawn from the Deck.
Monster – One of three general card types with stats like Attack and Defense, and it may or may not have effects(s).
Negate – To stop an effect from being able to proceed at the time it was about to come into play.
Out of play – Now called ‘banished’. The card is no longer on the field, nor is it in the Graveyard, hand, or Deck.
Resolve – When an effect or sequence of effects has successfully proceeded, and the next effect(s), where applicable, is/are allowed to proceed.
Send – To remove something from its current location and place it somewhere else. This is considered different from destroying, and cards (or effects) that require destruction as a condition to occur cannot respond to this event.
Set – To place a card face-down on the field.
Special Summon – To bring a monster onto the field, usually face-up, in addition to the one Normal Summon or Set allowed per turn. This can be done multiple times per turn, if possible.
Spell – One of three general card types, colored green. Typically these can be activated without waiting for the next turn, if the timing is right.
Summon – To bring a monster onto the field, face-up.
Target – To choose or select a card for an effect to proceed with.
Trap – One of three general card types, colored purple. Typically these cannot be activated the turn they were Set, unless something in the card text specifies otherwise.
Tribute – To send from the field to the Graveyard as a cost, typically to summon or activate an effect.