Tiene marido (Spanish, “it has a husband”): said of a chess piece that is defended. Take it, and its husband takes yours back.
I heard it firsthand from the old men playing in Domino Park, in Miami’s Little Havana. That’s the whole source: I haven’t found it written down anywhere, not as Cuban slang nor as Latin American chess jargon. So treat it as oral, and if you’ve heard it elsewhere, tell me.
The park is officially Máximo Gómez Park, named after a hero of Cuba’s independence wars, on Calle Ocho. Since the early 70s it’s been the meeting point of Cuban exiles: coffee, cigars, dominoes and chess. The tables are for members (over-50s with a club card, free and for life). Tourists watch.
A piece that isn’t alone on the board. Lovely.
https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/l/outdoor-experiences/domino-park/5611