Chess game ending

Latest answer — August 22, 2026

10 Across

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A chessboard showing a checkmate position.

Clue explained

MATE is the ending condition in chess when a king is under unavoidable threat: checkmate. “Game ending” points to this familiar chess term.

Clue type:
Definition

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Saturday, August 22, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, e.g.
  2. 6Person from Glasgow
  3. 10Chess game ending
  4. 14"Easy on Me" singer
  5. 15"___ on First?"
  6. 16At any point in time
  7. 17Mushroom Kingdom menace with a cape
  8. 19"Jane the Virgin" star Rodriguez
  9. 20"The Gift of the Magi" author
  10. 21"___ a spicy meatball!"
  11. 22Tug of ___
  12. 24Oscar nomination, casually
  13. 25Get some air?
  14. 27Place to plug in
  15. 29Trait associated with an impartial judge
  16. 30Femur-tibia connector
  17. 31Wrens and doves
  18. 32'90s school binder with a Velcro flap
  19. 38Uses a cellphone abroad, perhaps
  20. 39Monkey appendage
  21. 41Thundercat and Paul McCartney, for two
  22. 45Few and far between
  23. 47Characteristics
  24. 48Cheer word
  25. 49Cribbage marker
  26. 50Sparkled like a diamond
  27. 51Car with a clutch
  28. 53Gazillions
  29. 54Wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks
  30. 58Thus
  31. 59Car with a four-ring logo
  32. 60Stiff
  33. 61Fortuneteller
  34. 62Like the score 9-9
  35. 63Beginning

Down

  1. 1"Time ___ Come Today"
  2. 2End of Caltech's URL
  3. 3Newsroom employee
  4. 4Rhyming synonym of "meh"
  5. 5Tranquil
  6. 6Weapon in many fantasy novels
  7. 7Bok ___
  8. 8Alley-___
  9. 9Org. that makes people empty their pockets
  10. 10Archie and Lilibet's mom
  11. 11Fly a plane
  12. 12Place to the right of a decimal point
  13. 13Wipes clean
  14. 18Common pretzel shape
  15. 21Not verbose
  16. 22Pan for stir-frying
  17. 23Nancy Cartwright, to Sabrina Carpenter
  18. 25Woofs
  19. 26Imagineer's creation
  20. 28"Back to the Future" costar Thompson
  21. 29Employers of some lawyers
  22. 31"___ me!" ("No idea!")
  23. 33Cost
  24. 34Social media update
  25. 35School fundraising org.
  26. 36A snorer's spouse might use these
  27. 37Most consumed food in the world
  28. 40one of 1,306 for some millipedes
  29. 41Moistens with drippings, perhaps
  30. 42Onto land
  31. 43Mr. SquarePants, for one
  32. 44Motion detector, e.g.
  33. 45Rational
  34. 46Popular Disneyland treat
  35. 48Really quick
  36. 51Edna ___ ("The Incredibles" character)
  37. 52Related
  38. 54"Unofficial mascot of the internet"
  39. 55French for "yes"
  40. 56Popular March 14th dessert
  41. 57Summer hrs. in California

The answer to “Chess game ending” in the USA Today crossword is MATE — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 22, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 10-Across. 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 game ending” answer

MATE (4 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 MATE.

What does MATE mean?

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

(noun)

  • the sexual partner of a bird or other animal
  • a fellow member or joint occupant of a specified thing
  • a friend or companion

When else has “Chess game ending” appeared?

USA Today 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.

August 22, 2026 (most recent) → MATE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Chess game ending”?

The answer is MATE, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 22, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Chess game ending”?

4 letters: MATE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on August 22, 2026 (a Saturday puzzle), at 10-Across.

Can “Chess game ending” have a different answer?

Yes — USA Today 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 USA Today answers?

The full grid for August 22, 2026 is on the USA Today answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

USA Today Crossword is published by USA Today; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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