Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
chess
chess /ˈʧɛs/ noun [noncount] : a game for two players in which each player moves 16 pieces across a board and tries to place the opponent's king in a position from which it cannot escape
• We played (a game of) chess.
- often used before another noun
• a chess player/champion
• a chess match/tournament