Heraldic meaning
In heraldry, the checky field designates a pattern of squares alternating between two tinctures (typically a metal — or or argent — and a colour — gules or azure). This partitioning of the shield directly evokes the chessboard itself. A fully checky shield contains at least twenty squares; with fewer, it is called equipollé, or points d’échiquier. The motif suggests order and strategy.
Esoteric meaning
In esoteric thought, the chessboard embodies a symbol of duality: black and white, good and evil, light and darkness. It represents the manifest world, the ground on which opposites contend, but also the need to transcend that duality in order to reach unity. It recalls the mosaic pavement of the lodges, the game of life in which the individual advances among contrary forces. The game of chess then becomes an initiatory allegory: king as spirit, queen as soul, the board itself a terrestrial mirror reflecting the celestial.