chess

¹

[ ches ]

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.

chess

²

[ ches ]

noun

, plural chess·es.

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

chess

³

[ ches ]

noun

, plural chess, chess·es.

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

chess

¹

/ tʃɛs /

noun

1. a floorboard of the deck of a pontoon bridge

chess

²

/ 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

chess

³

/ tʃɛs /

noun

1. a less common name for rye-brome

Word History and Origins

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of chess¹

C15 (in the sense: layer, tier): from Old French chasse frame, from Latin capsa box

Origin of chess²

C13: from Old French esches, plural of eschec check (at chess); see check

Origin of chess³

C18: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

Democrats may have poor communication skills, but they’re even worse at playing political chess.

From Salon

Fans have bought tracksuits to dress as “Squid Game” characters for Halloween or chess sets due to the fandom around “The Queen’s Gambit.”

From Los Angeles Times

“I kind of look at it as chess. In chess, you set things up.”

From Los Angeles Times

Stewart concluded, “Republicans exploit the loopholes. Democrats complain about the norms over and over and over . . . I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Republicans are playing chess, and the Democrats are in the nurse’s office because they glued their balls to their thighs.”

From Salon

But with all the input from different places and the different plot threads involving Riley’s struggles to fit in at hockey camp, Anxiety’s misguided attempts to help, exiled Joy’s quest to return and restore balance and all the “balls in the air” and “three-dimensional chess,” as LeFauve puts it, Mann would keep coming back to the central idea: “ ‘What’s the story?

From Los Angeles Times