Illustration of chess
- chessboard with chess pieces arranged as at the beginning of a game
: 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
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
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2024
In the meantime, Justice Thomas set in motion the chess moves for a Supreme Court clerkship.
—Abbie Vansickle, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
But ping pong, cornhole, chess and checkers may also be offered.
—Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024
And Melody, a ghost who plays chess with Phoebe and has her own connection to all of this.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
How can these powerful systems beat us in chess but falter on basic math?
—Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
Similar to a chess board, Zhang’s nets are divided into multiple squares going up and down the structure.
—Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024
As has been written at this site time and again, the Dodgers are playing chess while many teams are still trying to find the checkers board.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Bowers, a two-time Mackey Award winner, is one of the most well-rounded tight end prospects to ever enter the league, and could develop into a premier chess piece with All-Pro potential.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2024
Noun
While ultimately meant for massive tasks like climate forecasting and materials engineering, Google DeepMind can also absolutely obliterate human competitors in games like chess, go, and even Starcraft II.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2024
In the meantime, Justice Thomas set in motion the chess moves for a Supreme Court clerkship.
—Abbie Vansickle, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
But ping pong, cornhole, chess and checkers may also be offered.
—Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024
And Melody, a ghost who plays chess with Phoebe and has her own connection to all of this.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
How can these powerful systems beat us in chess but falter on basic math?
—Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
Similar to a chess board, Zhang’s nets are divided into multiple squares going up and down the structure.
—Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024
As has been written at this site time and again, the Dodgers are playing chess while many teams are still trying to find the checkers board.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Bowers, a two-time Mackey Award winner, is one of the most well-rounded tight end prospects to ever enter the league, and could develop into a premier chess piece with All-Pro potential.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chess.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of chess was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing chess
Dictionary Entries Near chess
Cite this Entry
“Chess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chess. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on chess
Nglish: Translation of chess for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of chess for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chess
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