ша́хматы
šáxmatymasculine, plural
The Russian word for chess is ша́хматы (šáxmaty).
ша́хматы refers to the two-player board game. Related chess pieces include слон (bishop), конь (knight), пешка (pawn) and ладья (rook).
Meaning: two-player board game (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word ша́хматы is a plural masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is šáxmaty.
Did you know?
- The Russian word for bishop слон actually means 'elephant'. This reflects the game's history and its journey from India through Persia to Russia.
- The Russian word for 'rook' is ладья, which actually translates to 'riverboat' or 'skiff', reflecting the piece's historical origins as a ship.
- Russian chess culture is deeply tied to the Soviet era, where the state heavily funded the game to demonstrate intellectual superiority during the Cold War.
Examples in context
- Вы любите играть в шахматы?Do you like playing chess?
- Я люблю играть в ша́хматы.Ya lyublyu igrat' v shakhmaty.I love to play chess.
- Ша́хматы это очень интересная игра.Shakhmaty eto ochen' interesnaya igra.Chess is a very interesting game.
Example conversation
Dmitry and Olga are deciding what to do at home.
- Дмитрий DmitryОльга, давай поиграем в ша́хматы?Ol'ga, davay poigrayem v shakhmaty?Olga, let's play chess?
- Ольга OlgaЯ не очень хорошо играю.Ya ne ochen' khorosho igrayu.I don't play very well.
- Дмитрий DmitryЯ могу тебя научить.Ya mogu tebya nauchit'.I can teach you.
- Ольга OlgaХорошо, давай попробуем.Khorosho, davay poprobuyem.Okay, let's try.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chess” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
