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

chess, plural 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

Noun Inflected Forms

• chess
  plural
• chesses
  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

“AI will achieve Stockfish-level coding and generalized computer use,” Musk said in a statement on social media, possibly referring to the free, open-source chess engine.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 16, 2026

Whatever you could say about Bill Barr and what he was willing to do, he was extraordinarily smart, and he played chess, not checkers.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026

And who could forget the iconic image before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with both footballers playing chess against each other on a Louis Vuitton suitcase, to launch the designer's latest campaign.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

Somewhere in your thoughts you’ll understand how weird, wild and corrupt the world of chess can be.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

He pointed at his lone bishop, standing on his side of the chess board.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri