Chess is a two player turn based abstract strategy board game with the goal of checkmating the opponents King. The game originated from a similar board game from India called Chatarunga, which was played during the 17th century.

Chess boards have 64 squares arranged into an 8x8 grid with alternating white and black squares. Each player controls 16 pieces: 1 king, 1 queen, 2 bishops, 2 rooks, 2 knights, and eight pawns. Each piece has a predefined mode of movement. Each player's pieces are uniformly colored; for example if player one has the white pieces, player one will start the match. 

Checkmating the opponents king requires the opponent to position their pieces into an attacking arrangement that prohibits the defending players king from moving. This is usually accomplished by closing in on their defending opponents king and systematically working towards positions where the king can no longer move without being taken. If the king is under attack (meaning the king is in a position where the opponents next move will take the king) the defensive player must either take the attacking piece with any piece on the board or move the king to a position where the king is no longer under attach, this configuration is called "Check" or being "Checked". Chess matches can also end in a draw.

Chess arose in popularity in the 19th century and is governed internationally by the FIDE (international chess federation). Magnus Carlsen is the current world champion (2023) and the game has a huge body of theory associated with playing the game. 

The game has influenced western culture in the fields of art, mathematics, computer science and psychology. Computer scientists have used chess as a method for developing algorithms that can play chess. In 1997, Deep Blue became the first computer to beat a human opponent, beating the current world champion Garry Kasparov at that time. Today's chess playing machines are significantly more powerful and have been influenced by the best chess players in the world.