chess

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈches 

: a game for 2 players each of whom moves 16 pieces according to fixed rules across a checkerboard and tries to checkmate the opponent's king

Illustration of chess

• chessboard with chess pieces arranged as at the beginning of a game

chess

2 of 2

noun (2)

1

: a weedy annual European bromegrass (Bromus secalinus) widely naturalized in North America as a weed especially in grain

2

: any of several weedy bromegrasses related to chess

Examples of chess in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Suspicion about the American’s play against Carlsen that September indeed sparked controversy, one that reverberated even beyond the world of professional chess, garnering mainstream news coverage and the attention of Elon Musk. Become a Subscriber Except, Niemann admitted no such thing. —Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 21 June 2024

He’s thought of every scenario that could go right and wrong, and has to play chess with Washington’s detective. —Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 19 June 2024

In the final episode of season three, the Queen and Lady Danbury can be seen playing a particularly tense game of chess in the 18th-century idyll’s high-ceilinged, elaborately painted saloon. —Radhika Seth, Vogue, 18 June 2024

The couple went Instagram official in April 2021, sharing identical pictures of themselves playing a game of chess together. —Jack Guy, CNN, 17 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English ches, from Anglo-French escheks, eschés, plural of eschec check at chess — more at check

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1736, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing chess

• chess pie

Kids Definition

chess

noun

ˈches

: a game for two players each of whom plays with 16 pieces on a checkerboard

Etymology

Noun

Middle English ches "game of chess," from early French eschés (same meaning), literally, "checks," from eschec "check" — related to check, checker