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chess

n.
US //ˈtʃɛs// UK //tʃˈɛs// chess
  1. 1 the board game (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a game for two players who move pieces on a square board to try and trap the other player's king.

    a strategic board game for two players, played on a chequered board with sixteen pieces per side, with the objective of checkmating the opponent's king.

    Example

    He spends every Saturday afternoon playing chess at the local park.

    Example

    Grandmasters often spend years studying opening theory to gain a slight advantage in the early stages of a chess match.

  2. 2 military bridge floor (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Law

    one of the wooden planks used to make the floor of a temporary military bridge.

    a platform or planking unit used in the construction of the flooring for a temporary military pontoon or trestle bridge.

    Example

    The soldiers quickly laid the chesses across the frame to finish the bridge.

    Example

    The engineering manual specifies that each chess must be inspected for structural integrity before being secured to the bridge stringers.

    Usage

    Usually used in the plural form 'chesses' in this context.
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  1. 3 a type of grass (n.)
    C2 Proficiency American English Technical Science

    a type of wild grass that is often seen as a weed in farmers' fields.

    any of several species of grass within the genus Bromus, frequently regarded as a weed in agricultural contexts.

    Example

    The farmer had to spray the field to get rid of the chess growing among the wheat.

    Example

    Infestations of soft chess can significantly reduce the yield of cereal crops if not managed during the early growing season.
Etymology 1

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”).

Etymology 2

Uncertain; perhaps linked to Etymology 1, above, from the sense of being arranged in rows or lines.

Etymology 3

Compare French châssis (“a framework of carpentry”).

Idioms1 entry

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