Advertisement

Advertisement

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

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

chess

3

[ches]

noun

plural

chess, chesses 
  1. one of the planks forming the roadway of a floating bridge.

chess

1

/ 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

“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

chess

2

/ tʃɛs /

noun

  1. a less common name for rye-brome

“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

chess

3

/ tʃɛs /

noun

  1. a floorboard of the deck of a pontoon bridge

“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
Discover More

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”
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of chess1

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

Origin of chess2

C18: of unknown origin

Origin of chess3

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

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.

Pawn pushers at a couple of low-stakes chess tournaments in Iowa and Louisiana recently sat down at their boards only to discover a surprising competitor: one of the highest rated chess players ever to live.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

The 21-year-old, born in a Paris suburb, may be basketball’s most worldly superstar, spending his free time playing chess, sketching and poring through 1,000-page novels.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

But football is “violent chess. That is gladiators without swords. That is dangerous. The whole season, I am locked in on what that man is doing on the field.”

Read more on Salon

"It's like a game of chess," he says.

Read more on BBC

The elements may be familiar, but there are only six different pieces in chess, and the combinations are infinite; “The Lowdown,” which premieres Tuesday on FX, wins the game.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


Chesnuttchessboard