Etymology

x-ray

Today it means: A ray of short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation usually produced by bombarding a metal target in a vacuum. Used to create images of the internal structure of objects; this is possible because X-rays pass through most objects and can expose photographic film. Full definition →

German X-Strahl
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The story

  1. German · calque ofX-Strahl
  2. English todayX-ray

From X + ray, a calque of German X-Strahl, coined by Wilhelm Röntgen upon his discovery of the rays in 1895, where X signifies their unknown nature. The chess sense is metaphorical, referring to control passing through a seemingly solid barrier.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.