The River Chess is a chalk stream

Chalk stream

Chalk streams have characteristics which set them apart from watercourses associated with other rock types.Aside from those with an interest in the geological and ecological disciplines, the term chalk stream is most widely used among a small group of fly fishermen ,...

 which springs from Chesham

Chesham

Chesham is a market town in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 11 miles south-east of the county town of Aylesbury. Chesham is also a civil parish designated a town council within Chiltern district. It is situated in the Chess Valley and surrounded by farmland, as well as...

, Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....

 and runs through Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...

, in south-eastern England. The Chess, along with the Colne

River Colne, Hertfordshire

The Colne is a river in England which is a tributary of the River Thames. It flows mainly through Hertfordshire and forms the boundary between the South Bucks district of Buckinghamshire and the London Borough of Hillingdon...

 and Gade

River Gade

The River Gade is a river running almost entirely though Hertfordshire. It rises from a spring in the chalk of the Chiltern Hills at Dagnall, Buckinghamshire and flows through Hemel Hempstead, Kings Langley and Croxley Green to Rickmansworth where it joins the The River Colne...

, gives rise to the name of the district of Three Rivers

Three Rivers (district)

Three Rivers is a local government district in Hertfordshire in the East of England. Its council is based in Rickmansworth.It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Rickmansworth Urban District and Chorleywood Urban District with part of Watford Rural District...

, in which it forms its confluence with the Colne. The River Chess falls 60 m and is 17.9 km long.
The river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 rises from springs

Spring (hydrosphere)

A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...

 in the Vale of Chesham

Chesham Vale

Chesham Vale is a small area of Chesham in Buckinghamshire, England, covering several roads. It is located in the north of Chesham towards the villages of Hawridge and Cholesbury. Part of Chesham Vale is located in the bottom of the valley with several roads leading up the hill towards Pond Park.-...

 and in Pednor before flowing in a south-easterly direction past Waterside

Waterside, Buckinghamshire

Waterside is a hamlet in the parish of Chesham, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the town itself, though anciently referred to the group of dwellings next to the River Chess in Chesham....

.