chess

1
[ ches ]

noun
  1. a game played on a chessboard by two people who maneuver sixteen pieces each according to rules governing movement of the six kinds of pieces (pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, king), the object being to bring the opponent's king into checkmate.

Origin of chess

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English che(e)s, chesse, echesse, esches, from Old French esches, plural of eschec check1

Words Nearby chess

Other definitions for chess (2 of 3)

chess2
[ ches ]

noun,plural chess·es.
  1. any of several weedy species of bromegrass, especially Bromus secalinus.

Origin of chess

2
First recorded in 1735–40; origin unknown

Other definitions for chess (3 of 3)

chess3
[ ches ]

noun,plural chess, chess·es.
  1. one of the planks forming the roadway of a floating bridge.

Origin of chess

3
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English ches “tier, layer,” possibly alteration of Middle French chasse “frame”

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How to use chess in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chess (1 of 3)

chess1

/ (tʃɛs) /


noun
  1. a game of skill for two players using a chessboard on which chessmen are moved. Initially each player has one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns, which have different types of moves according to kind. The object is to checkmate the opponent's king

Origin of chess

1
C13: from Old French esches, plural of eschec check (at chess); see check

British Dictionary definitions for chess (2 of 3)

chess2

/ (tʃɛs) /


noun
  1. US a less common name for rye-brome

Origin of chess

2
C18: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for chess (3 of 3)

chess3

/ (tʃɛs) /


nounplural chess or chesses
  1. a floorboard of the deck of a pontoon bridge

Origin of chess

3
C15 (in the sense: layer, tier): from Old French chasse frame, from Latin capsa box

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012