Make winning chess move for childhood friend (8)
I believe the answer is:
playmate
'friend' is the definition.
(playmate is a kind of friend)
'make winning chess move for childhood' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'move' could be 'play' (play is a kind of move) and 'play' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'mate' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for playmate that I've seen before include "Recreational friend" , "Childhood companion" , "fun chum" , "Child's friend" , "Child's companion" .)