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
Mark Carey, New York Times, 28 June 2025
Massey, 33, who stood out for his face tattoos of chess pieces, was in jail on charges of domestic abuse involving strangulation and theft of a motor vehicle.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 27 June 2025
As someone who will likely sign for the veteran minimum again this offseason (estimated to be 3.1 million, based on Simmons’ experience), Simmons offers a great option for playoff teams looking to add a versatile chess piece to their bench rotation at an affordable rate.
—Mat Issa, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Some schools grant promising chess players holidays to train and travel.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for chess
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Noun
As something of a pawn in the game of tactical chess between Ferreira and Paiva, the broad conclusion was that the experiment did not quite work out for the teenager.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 28 June 2025
Massey, 33, who stood out for his face tattoos of chess pieces, was in jail on charges of domestic abuse involving strangulation and theft of a motor vehicle.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 27 June 2025
As someone who will likely sign for the veteran minimum again this offseason (estimated to be 3.1 million, based on Simmons’ experience), Simmons offers a great option for playoff teams looking to add a versatile chess piece to their bench rotation at an affordable rate.
—Mat Issa, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Some schools grant promising chess players holidays to train and travel.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for chess
Cite this Entry
“Chess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chess. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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