Chess pieces

Latest answer — June 14, 2026

54 Down

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Sunday, June 14, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Many a listing on the Billboard Hot 100
  2. 7High noon face-offs
  3. 12Sonata maker
  4. 19Backup squads
  5. 20Asian rice porridge
  6. 21Measure of high resistance
  7. 2210th grader critiques swanky boutique?
  8. 25When doubled, a cry of approval
  9. 26Souvenirs fired from hand-held cannons
  10. 27Pep rally yells
  11. 28Inquires
  12. 29"Hoo mama, that's hot!"
  13. 31Singer Lovato
  14. 32Wrestling move named after a pesticide
  15. 34Why Keanu is such a generous tipper?
  16. 42Revenue-raising legislation
  17. 43The "Y" of Y.S.L.
  18. 44Bad thing to bring to bed, it's said
  19. 45Rapper Kool Moe ___
  20. 46Bone doc
  21. 47Heartburn
  22. 49Make out
  23. 51Needle holder
  24. 521960s singer swindles Nashville awards?
  25. 57Online euphemism for "killed" used to avoid demonetization
  26. 59"See ya!"
  27. 60Part between the shoulders
  28. 61Well-known song with a trilingual version in English, French and Inuktitut
  29. 64Come back in force
  30. 68Order to go
  31. 71Actress ___ Lee Nolin of "Baywatch"
  32. 73"No joke!"
  33. 77Scottish cryptid spotted by the French?
  34. 83Bad sound from a fan
  35. 84Bothered to no end
  36. 85Java tea
  37. 86Bygone retail giant
  38. 88Senatorial greeting
  39. 89Bathroom brand
  40. 911998 tech debut
  41. 93Volcanic gems found on every continent
  42. 94Harsh taskmaster taken to task?
  43. 98Totally played out
  44. 99Alien leader?
  45. 100"... to hold, as ___, the mirror up to nature": Hamlet
  46. 101Spot for a cooling pie
  47. 104Eastern currency
  48. 105Opening of le soliloque d'Hamlet
  49. 107Innocent sort
  50. 110What a modest play has in common with the answer to each italicized clue?
  51. 116Appropriately misspelled genre for Korn and Limp Bizkit
  52. 117"Woo-hoo!"
  53. 118Kid-friendly rocker?
  54. 119"Oh, please"
  55. 120Pub quaff
  56. 121"Moving right along ..."

Down

  1. 1Network supported by "Viewers Like You"
  2. 2"Altho ..."
  3. 3Cacio e ___ (Roman pasta dish)
  4. 4Nervous agreement
  5. 5Make-up artist?
  6. 6General with a chicken dish named after him
  7. 7Goofball
  8. 8Some, in Saltillo
  9. 9"S.N.L." alum Nwodim
  10. 10Tom ___, "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" satirist
  11. 11Tahini, essentially
  12. 12Certain open enrollment options, for short
  13. 13"Roundabout" rock band, 1971
  14. 14"Gross!"
  15. 15Onetime stargazer's education channel
  16. 16Cries of self-described "idiots"
  17. 17"Now I get it"
  18. 18Fireball-throwing demons from Doom
  19. 20In good spirits
  20. 23Name in many skyscrapers
  21. 24Jam band with a Ben & Jerry's flavor
  22. 30___ paint (sign tragically noticed after sitting on a park bench)
  23. 31End of a redundant legal doublet
  24. 32Jorts material
  25. 33Kind of code
  26. 34___ to go
  27. 35Face in the crowd, say
  28. 36Emergency removal, in brief
  29. 37Light in the night sky also known as Alpha Lyrae
  30. 38Whiskey mixer
  31. 39Altitude sickness side effect
  32. 40Returned to air, as an old pilot, perhaps
  33. 41Have an inkling
  34. 42Cousin of tempeh and seitan
  35. 48Powerful Romanov
  36. 50Viola score symbol
  37. 53Actress Gardner
  38. 54Chess pieces
  39. 55"Absence makes the heart grow fonder" or "Out of sight, out of mind"
  40. 56Social class
  41. 58Unpacked, say
  42. 62"Let's just stay calm"
  43. 632023 Nobel-winning physicist L'Huillier
  44. 65Spoon bender Geller debunked on "The Tonight Show"
  45. 66Shout in a slasher film
  46. 67Female-friendly fandom event
  47. 68Sam who putted croquet style until the U.S.G.A. banned it
  48. 69Catapult
  49. 70Kitchen brand
  50. 72Martial art mastered by Steven Seagal
  51. 74Taper
  52. 75Empty inside
  53. 76Tater ___
  54. 78How sun-dried tomatoes are packed
  55. 79Dog-___
  56. 80Dog ___
  57. 81Town, cape or river of western Alaska
  58. 82Scorch
  59. 87Lunged (for)
  60. 90"The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection" automaker
  61. 92It can carry a tune
  62. 93Modern art?
  63. 95Word after high or holy
  64. 96Fast-food chain whose name has two hyphens
  65. 97Washstand item
  66. 101Old Medicare IDs
  67. 102Sleepy murmur
  68. 103Spiritual teacher in Tibet
  69. 104Rory's school on "Gilmore Girls"
  70. 105Shade in the desert
  71. 106"___ remains to be seen"
  72. 108Clubber's tank top material
  73. 109Verve
  74. 1114G letters
  75. 112QB Ward or Newton
  76. 113To's opposite
  77. 114Band with the 1980s multi-octave "Take On Me"
  78. 115Move the needle?

The answer to “Chess pieces” in the New York Times crossword is MEN — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on June 14, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 54-Down, and it has also run on 2 earlier dates with the same answer. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Chess pieces” answer

MEN (3 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is MEN.

Why the answer is MEN

Picture the knights, bishops, and other units on the board ♟️

What does MEN mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of MEN is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • an adult male human being
  • a human being of either sex; a person
  • a group or person in a position of authority over others, such as a corporate employer or the police

When else has “Chess pieces” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Chess pieces”?

The answer is MEN, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on June 14, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Chess pieces”?

3 letters: MEN.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on June 14, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 54-Down. Earlier appearances: December 28, 2025 → MEN; March 30, 2025 → MEN.

Can “Chess pieces” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for June 14, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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