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

Several ingredients have contributed to such prolonged consistency, yet Villa’s attacking prowess has been underpinned by Emery’s use of his chess piece No 10s. —Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025

Sensing the potential of other community-building platforms, inspiration struck—what if there was a way to bring chess online? —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2025

Their characters range from alien birds discussing the optimal amount of stones in nests to Aztec warriors unaware of guns to bumbling, chess-playing professors. —Book Marks october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025

Clooney shared that Alexander is a keen chess player but doesn't always win his tournaments. —Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English chesse, ches, esches, borrowed from Anglo-French escheks, eschez "game of chess" — more at check entry 2

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

Rhymes for chess

• bless
• cress
• dress
• es
• ess
• esse
• fess
• guess
• jess
• less
• lesse
• mess

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