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

plural

chesses

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

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chess ³ American  

[ches] / tʃɛs /

noun

plural

chess, chesses

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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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

The stakes are further raised by a love triangle involving Florence Vassy, the brilliant chess strategist played by Lea Michele.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

It wasn’t just that Anthropic won a game of chess against that wily Hegseth.

From Slate • Apr. 14, 2026

A competitive chess player, he began streaming games online during the pandemic.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

A 20-year-old chess prodigy is laying waste to the world’s top grandmasters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

I have offended you and your country, the Soviet Union, where chess has a prestigious position.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady