A chessboard is the square playing surface used for chess, divided into 64 alternating light and dark squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. Each player begins with pieces positioned on opposite ends of the board, and the game unfolds as they move across these squares following chess's intricate rules.

The chessboard's distinctive pattern makes it instantly recognizable. The squares alternate between two colors (traditionally black and white, though often brown and tan on wooden boards). Players must set up the board so that each person has a light square in the bottom-right corner. “White on right” is the helpful phrase chess players remember.

Beyond chess itself, people use “chessboard” to describe anything with a similar checkerboard pattern. A tiled floor might have a chessboard design, or farmland viewed from an airplane might look like a chessboard of different crops. Mathematicians and computer scientists also use chessboards to explore fascinating puzzles, like figuring out how to place eight queens on the board so none can attack another, or calculating how many ways a knight can tour every square exactly once.