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

The 33-year-old was defeated by Greg Shahade, a chess player from Philadelphia who won $33,000 during Monday's game. —Melina Khan, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026

Ding lost to international chess master Greg Shahade. —Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026

There are those who once thought that the superiority of machines would cause a crisis for chess—and for humanity. —Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026

Those were threats that DeSantis has to take at face value after Jeffries’ record of success in the redistricting chess game. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026

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