棋子
qí zǐ · HSK 7
chess piece
♟️ 棋 chess/board-game + 子 piece = a single game piece on the board
棋 (qí) is any strategy board game like 围棋 go or 象棋 Chinese chess; 子 (zǐ) is the small-item suffix seen in 桌子 table and 椅子 chair. Together: the individual playing piece you move around the board.
棋 — wood 木 + its 其 (phonetic)
棋 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The wood radical 木 indicates the material, since traditional board game pieces were carved from wood, while 其 (qí) supplies the sound. It originally referred to chess or weiqi pieces and now means chess or board games generally.
子 — pictograph of a baby/child with arms out
子 began as a pictograph of a swaddled infant with a large head and outstretched arms, originally meaning 'baby' or 'child.' From there it broadened to 'son,' 'offspring,' and a respectful suffix for masters like 孔子 (Confucius). It also became one of the twelve earthly branches.