chess

UK: /ˈtʃɛs/ US: /tʃɛs/ ,(ches)

Inflections of 'chess' (n):

chess

n (Uncountable sense(s): no inflections)

chess

npl (For the floating bridge plank)

chesses

npl (For the floating bridge plank)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

chess¹ /tʃɛs/   n. [uncountable]

1. Chess a game played on a chessboard by two people who each move 16 pieces of six kinds to bring the opponent's king into checkmate.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

chess¹  (ches), n. 

1. Chess a game played by two persons, each with 16 pieces, on a chessboard.

• Old French esches, plural of eschec check¹
• Middle English 1150–1200

chess²  (ches), n., pl. chess, chess•es. 

1. Civil Engineering one of the planks forming the roadway of a floating bridge.

• ?
• late Middle English ches tier, layer 1425–75

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

chess / 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

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French esches, plural of eschec check (at chess); see check

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

brome•grass  (brōm′gras′, -gräs′), n. 

any of numerous grasses of the genus Bromus, having flat blades and open clusters of flower spikelets. Also called brome  (brōm), chess. 
• Greek brómos oats) + grass
• Neo-Latin Brom(us) genus name (
• 1750–60