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

We’re being used as pawns in a much bigger chess game here. —Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025

Viking chess, or Hnefatafl, is played by placing pieces in the center of a grid game board and other pieces along the sides, compared to modern-day chess where pieces are placed at the end of the board facing one another. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025

Noland Arbaugh will chat with Fortune’s Jessica Mathews on Wednesday—plus play a bit of chess with the delightful Anna Cramling of YouTube fame. —Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025

Menē, started by former gold bullion trader Roy Sebag and art historian and curator Diana Picasso, is a disruptive jewelry brand which sells solid gold and platinum jewels and objects — including buttons, dog tags and chess pieces — by weight, intended as investments to hold capital. —Kate Matthams, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 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