échecs
/e.ʃɛk/masculine, plural
The French word for chess is échecs.
échecs is a masculine plural noun used to refer to the two-player board game.
Meaning: two-player board game (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The singular form échec means 'failure' or 'check' (as in 'checkmate'). The name of the game, échecs, is the plural form, which translates to 'checks' or 'failures'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word for chess is always used in the plural form in French. When using the verb jouer (to play) with échecs, you must use the contraction aux (a combination of à + les) to say 'playing chess'.
How do you pronounce it?
/e.ʃɛk/
Did you know?
- The French word for checkmate is échec et mat, which comes from the Persian phrase 'Shāh Māt', meaning 'the king is helpless' or 'the king is dead'.
- A French 'pawn' is called un pion, a word that is also used in French to describe a school monitor or a 'puppet' in a political scheme.
- In French, the 'knight' piece is called le cavalier, which literally translates to 'the horseman' or 'the rider'.
Examples in context
- Tom aime les échecs.Tom likes chess.This sentence is useful for expressing a personal preference for the game using échecs.Tatoeba #5591256 by Aiji, translation #5190910 by CK
- Nous jouions aux échecs.We were playing chess.This sentence is useful for describing the action of playing chess using échecs.Tatoeba #5438669 by Aiji, translation #2646245 by CK
- J'adore jouer aux échecs.I love playing chess.This sentence is useful for expressing a strong passion for playing chess using échecs.Tatoeba #3093296 by Blabla, translation #6698217 by Eccles17
- J'adore jouer aux échecs avec mes amisI love playing chess with my friends
- Est-ce que tu veux jouer aux échecs?Do you want to play chess?
- Oui, je connais les règles du jeu d'échecsYes, I know the rules of the game of chess
- On joue aux échecs ce soir?Are we playing chess tonight?
- 263 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are at a café.
- LucasTu veux jouer aux échecs ?Do you want to play chess?
- ChloéOui, je suis très bonne aux échecs.Yes, I am very good at chess.
- LucasC'est vrai, tu es une championne !It's true, you are a champion!
- ChloéMerci, c'est gentil de ta part.Thank you, that's kind of you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chess” translations and entries échecs, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
