chess

¹ American  

[ches] / tʃɛs /

noun

1. a game played on a chessboard by two people who maneuver sixteen pieces each according to rules governing movement of the six kinds of pieces (pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, king), the object being to bring the opponent's king into checkmate.

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chess ² American  

[ches] / tʃɛs /

noun

plural

chesses

1. any of several weedy species of bromegrass, especially Bromus secalinus.

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chess ³ American  

[ches] / tʃɛs /

noun

plural

chess, chesses

1. one of the planks forming the roadway of a floating bridge.

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chess ¹ British  

/ tʃɛs /

noun

1. a game of skill for two players using a chessboard on which chessmen are moved. Initially each player has one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns, which have different types of moves according to kind. The object is to checkmate the opponent's king

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chess ² British  

/ tʃɛs /

noun

1. a less common name for rye-brome

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chess ³ British  

/ tʃɛs /

noun

1. a floorboard of the deck of a pontoon bridge

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Etymology

Origin of chess¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English che(e)s, chesse, echesse, esches, from Old French esches, plural of eschec check ¹

Origin of chess²

First recorded in 1735–40; origin unknown

Origin of chess³

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English ches “tier, layer,” possibly alteration of Middle French chasse “frame”

Example Sentences

UBS said that was smart, because Microsoft “had to move fast and this was the best possible chess move.”

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

In Kampala, Bior competes in chess tournaments and volunteers with the Dongriin Foundation, a nonprofit which helps refugee students find college-prep help and scholarships at local universities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

But even though these systems have mastered chess, conquered Go and unfolded nearly all of the known proteins in the universe, they were initially flummoxed by the mere concept of a bracket.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

At the weekly gathering, which features a food vendor, cocktails, tattoo artists and DJs, you can “competitively play chess, learn the game, meet new friends or mingle as a single person,” Thompson shares.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

Had Fischer not done as well as he did, his story might have ended right there, surrealistically, in the quiet back room of a chess club.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady