The game name comes from a French plural linked to the king-in-check announcement. Its royal word reaches Old Persian.
The cards compress Middle Persian, Arabic and continental Old French. Other Middle English spellings are alternatives. The unrelated plant word chess is excluded.
Sources
- Merriam-Webster: chess
The game came from Anglo-French plural forms.
- Merriam-Webster: check
The linked royal term passes through Arabic and Persian; deeper sound explanations are qualified.
- Online Etymology Dictionary · chess
Meanings of the older forms on the word path.
- Merriam-Webster · shah
Meanings of the older forms on the word path.
- University of Michigan historical dictionaries · MED7478
Meanings of the older forms on the word path.