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

chesses plural

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

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chess ³ American  

[ches] / tʃɛs /

noun

chesses plural

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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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• chesses
  plural
• chess
  plural

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”

Explanation

Chess is a game that's played on a checked board by two players. The goal in chess is to put your opponent's king piece in a position from which it can't escape. A game of chess begins with sixteen black pieces on one side of the board, opposite sixteen white pieces. Each piece can perform a different movement, and each turn involves a player moving a piece in an attempt to attack and remove her opponent's pieces, and to trap the opposing king. Really good chess players learn a lot of strategy and might even compete professionally. Chess comes from the Old French esches, "chessmen," and also "checks."

Example Sentences

Through most of the game, the excitement was contained to a pitcher’s duel — a chess game of defensive plays, waiting to see who flinched first.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

They make clear why Duchamp, a master chess player, retreated from the challenges of modern painting into the safer, cooler terrain—the anti-art gamesmanship—of the Readymade.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026

I found a document releasing people convicted of first-degree murder so they could give a talk at a Masonic lodge or play chess at a high school tournament.

From Slate • May 27, 2026

After IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer scored a landmark victory over chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997, researchers sought new simulations to push the frontiers of machine intelligence.

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

I slam the table, knocking over a few of the chess pieces.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin