A high-contrast image of a chess board with several simplified black and white chess pieces arranged on the squares. A king piece is clearly visible.

ajedrez

ah-heh-DREHS

nounmA1

chess?the board game

Also:chess set?the pieces and board

📝 In Action

¿Sabes jugar al ajedrez?

Do you know how to play chess?

Mi abuelo me enseñó a mover las piezas de ajedrez cuando era niño.

My grandfather taught me how to move the chess pieces when I was a child.

La partida de ajedrez se prolongó durante tres horas, requiriendo mucha concentración estratégica.

The game of chess lasted for three hours, requiring a lot of strategic concentration.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

jugar al ajedrez – to play chess
partida de ajedrez – game of chess
tablero de ajedrez – chessboard

💡 Grammar Points

Masculine Noun Ending

Even though this word ends in 'z,' it is a masculine word, so you always use 'el' (el ajedrez).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Playing Games

Mistake: "Quiero jugar ajedrez."

Correction: Quiero jugar AL ajedrez. (When talking about playing sports or games in Spanish, you often need the 'a' preposition. 'Jugar a' + the article 'el' becomes 'al'.)

⭐ Usage Tips

Referring to the Board

You can use 'ajedrez' to mean both the game itself and the actual board and pieces ('un ajedrez de madera' - a wooden chess set).

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: ajedrez

Question 1 of 2

Which phrase correctly means 'He is learning to play chess'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

ajedrecista(chess player) - noun

tablero(board) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the word for a 'chess player' in Spanish?

The word is 'ajedrecista.' It is one of the nouns that doesn't change form based on gender, so you use 'el ajedrecista' (male player) or 'la ajedrecista' (female player).

How do you say 'checkmate' in Spanish?

The standard term is 'jaque mate' (pronounced HAH-keh MAH-teh). 'Jaque' means 'check'.