Definition of CHESS

chess

Plural: chesses

Noun

  • A common grass-like weed found in grain fields.
  • weedy annual native to Europe but widely distributed as a weed especially in wheat
  • a board game for two players who move their 16 pieces according to specific rules; the object is to checkmate the opponent's king
  • A board game for two players, each beginning with sixteen chess pieces moving according to fixed rules across a chessboard with the objective to checkmate the opposing king.
  • Any of several species of grass in the genus Bromus, generally considered weeds.
  • One of the platforms, consisting of two or more planks dowelled together, for the flooring of a temporary military bridge.

Examples

  • He tried to make CHESS work, but the word didn’t quite fit the strategic board.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English ches, chesse, from Old French eschés, plural of eschec, from Medieval Latin scaccus, from Arabic شَاه (šāh, “king [in chess]”), from Classical Persian شاه (šāh, “shah, king”), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/).
Compare German Schach and Italian scacchi. Compare French échecs (“chess”) and its descendants: Catalan escacs and Dutch schaak. More at check and shah (“king of Persia or Iran”).

Synonyms

Bromus secalinus, cheat, chess game, Western chess, chess, international chess

Scrabble Score: 10

chess: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
chess: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
chess: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

chess: valid Words With Friends Word