chessboard

American

[ches-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈtʃɛsˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

the board, identical with a checkerboard, used for playing chess.

chessboard British

/ ˈtʃɛsˌbɔːd /

noun

a square board divided into 64 squares of two alternating colours, used for playing chess or draughts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

chessboards

plural

Etymology

Origin of chessboard

1400–50; late Middle English. See chess ¹, board

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Imagine a large chessboard with a dot in the center of each square.

From Slate • Jun. 22, 2026

Eventually, in the book’s climactic scene, he faces Mr. Carlsen again in a hybrid tournament, with a digital chessboard, a live audience and extensive security precautions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

“If you move one piece on the chessboard, it changes everything for your next move,” she says.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

There was also another piece on the chessboard by this stage: Donald Trump.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2025

Visualizing his white pawn in front of his king on an imaginary chessboard, thirteen-year-old Bobby Fischer announced his first move to his opponent, Jack Collins: “Pawn to king four.”

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023