Forms: 4 chekmat, 4–5 chek mate, 5–6 chekmate, 6 checke-mate, checke and mate, chekemate, 6–7 check mate, 7 cheke mate, 6–9 check-mate, 5– checkmate. [ME. chek mat(e chekmat(e, aphetic f. OF. eschec mat, eschec et mat, Pr. escat mat, It. scaccomatto, Sp. jaque y mate, OSp. xaquimate, OSp. and Pg. xaque mate, ad. Arabic shāh-māt(a the king is dead: see CHECK sb.1]
A. int. Exclamation at chess by a player on putting his adversary’s King into inextricable check, a move by which the game is won; orig. meaning ‘(your) King is dead.’ (Now commonly MATE.)
1413. Lydg., Pylgr. Sowle, I. xxii. (1859), 27. A shame hath he that at the cheker pleyeth, Whan that a pown seyith to the kyng, chekmate!
1789. Twiss, Chess, I. 127. The Colonel always took care to be on his feet, to fly to the farthest corner of the room, when he said, ‘Checkmate, my Lord!’
b. transf. To To say checkmate (to any one): to say ‘you are beaten,’ ‘your game is up’; to beat in a contest; to defeat, undo.
a. 1346. Pol. Poems (1859), I. 29. In proprio climat tibi dicet aper cito chekmat.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, II. 752. Shal nonne husbond sey to me ‘chek mate.’
c. 1430. Lydg., Bochas, Prol. 26. Princes, for they be not stable, Fortune full oft … saith to them ‘Checkmate.’
1513. Bradshaw, St. Werburgh (1848), 55. Whan dethe with his darte sayth to us chekemate.
1579. Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 109. A milksop, taunted and retaunted with check and checkmate.
B. sb. 1. This exclamation taken as a name for itself, and for the move that puts the King into inextricable check. To give checkmate: to make or effect this conclusive move. (Also MATE.)
[1426. Audelay, Poems, 23. After chec for the roke ware fore the mate.]
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., I. xxi. 71 (Harl. MS.). When he takith [no] kepe of God, and hathe no meyne, than is hit to þe man chekmate.
1562. Rowbothum, Play Cheasts, C vj. If his Bishoppe take thyne, thou shalt geue checke and mate, setting thy Queene in the fourth house of his Kings Bishoppe.
1564–78. Bullein, Dial. agst. Pest. (1888), 98. In this land did i se … a Parate giue one of their gentlewomen a checkmate at Chesse.
1656. Beale, Chesse-Play, 11. The maine designe of the game … is as suddenly as can be to give check mate.
1870. Hardy & Ware, Mod. Hoyle, Chess (Warne), 42. When a checkmate is obtained, the game is at an end. Ibid., 45. The player who effects checkmate wins the game.
1875. Hamerton, Intell. Life, X. v. 362. Bright ideas about checkmates occur only to persons who have studied chess.
b. fig. and transf.
1520. Whitinton, Vulg. (1527), 33. He gaue hym … a dosen chekmates [Lat. sanna, a jeer] or they had done.
a. 1529. Skelton, Dk. Albany, 384. Our mayster shall you brynge … to lowe estate, And mate you with chekmate.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 540. If he then were ouercome, the game had for the Englishemen bene clerely gotten, and to the Frenchmen, a perpetuall checkmate.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Dec., 53. Loue they him called, that gaue me checkmate.
1652. L. S., People’s Liberty, x. 20. To give a check-mate to Religion.
a. 1845. Hood, Compass, xv. His fate, Check-mate.
c. Phrase. To play checkmate with.
c. 1500. in Hazl., E. P. P., III. 260. A noble clarke of late … Hath played with them chekmate, Theyr courage to abate.
1522. Skelton, Why not to Courte? 585. And he wyll play checke mate With riall maieste, Counte him selfe as good as he.
1572. Gascoigne, Flowers, Wks. (1587), 90. When deadly hate Did play checke mate With me poore pawne.
† 2. Apparently, from erroneous analysis of the preceding phrase, checkmate occurs as
† a. Chess. Obs. rare.
a. 1661. Holyday, Juvenal, 223/2. The name of the Game, Checkmate, is derived … from the Hebrew.
† b. Of persons: An equal in a contest, a rival, match; an equal in power or rank; as if ‘a mate that checks’; also variously corrupted as Jack mate, chek-meat, etc. Obs.
1509. Hawes, Examp. Virt., vi. 73. She her selfe helde her estate In a gloryous chaumbre without chekmate.
1530. Proper Dyaloge (1863), 22.
| They resorte to lordes and great estates | |
| With whom they are dayly checke mates. |
1566. Knox, Hist. Ref., Wks. 1846, I. 12. Thou should not mack thy self chek-meat to the King.
1577. H. Rhodes, Bk. Nurture, 321. Then will all your Elders thinke you be with him Iack mate.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 18/2. All that proudly would play the checkemates against him.
1600. Holland, Livy, XXXIV. iii. 854. Untill at length they be checkmates [exæquari] with their husbands.
1647–51. N. Bacon, Hist. Disc., lv. 156. The Clergy … in every Nation grew checkmate [with the Sovereign]: and … had … a principal part of the strength.
