Learn Romanian: Șahul cere multă răbdare. - Chess takes a lot of patience.

In Romanian, when a general concept, game, or abstract idea is the subject of a sentence, it usually takes the definite article. So, while we say "chess" in English, Romanian uses șahul (literally "the chess").

The English translation says "takes", but doesn't cere mean "asks"?

Yes, the verb a cere literally means "to ask for", "to request", or "to demand". In Romanian, it is very common to use cere to express that an activity "requires" or "takes" a certain resource, such as time, effort, or patience.

Why is the adjective multă used instead of mult?

The word for "a lot" or "much" must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Because răbdare is a feminine singular noun, the adjective takes the feminine singular form multă.

Is there a reliable way to remember that răbdare is a feminine noun?

Yes! Abstract nouns ending in -re that are built directly from verbs are feminine. Răbdare comes from the verb a răbda (to endure). These nouns are called "long infinitives" and they are always feminine in Romanian.