I’m sure you’ve heard of chess, but did you know there’s a whole day dedicated to it? Now you do! A game of strategy and wits, Chess is the thinking man’s game. From Early India to today, Chess is a wonderful game to play anytime, anywhere.
History of International Chess Day
Invented in India in the fifth century, it was named “Chaturanga” and this is likely one of the oldest games of our era. the game then spread to Persia. When the Arabs conquered Persia, chess was taken up by the Muslim world and subsequently spread to Southern Europe. In Europe, chess evolved into roughly its current form in the 15th century. The game was developed extensively in Europe. By the late 15th century, it had survived a series of prohibitions and Christian Church sanctions to almost take the shape of the modern game.
Modern history saw reliable reference works, competitive chess tournaments, and exciting new variations. These factors added to the game’s popularity, further liked by reliable timing mechanisms (first introduced in 1861), effective rules, and charismatic players. Chess remains a highly popular pastime among the general populace. A 2012 survey found that “chess players now make up one of the largest communities in the world: 605 million adults play chess regularly”
On July 20, 1924 at the eighth summer Olympic games in Paris, France, the FIDE (World Chess Federation) was Founded. Thus in 1966, on the same day as the founding of the FIDE, International Chess Day begun. Today there are chess tournaments all over the world. The first modern chess tournament having been held in London in 1851 and won by German Adolf Anderssen
How to celebrate International Chess Day
Most cities have one or more chess clubs, we see them in high schools and even high winning competitions. Take a look around your city and locate your local chess group. Go play a game and maybe pick up some new chess moves.
Maybe you can go find a chess mate to try your hand at it, and if you’ve never played, try going out and learning how to play and know how to play a new game!
You could always call friends and family over for a picnic and organizing a human chess game at the park! You can use colored tee shirts with game piece names on them to identify who is playing what piece.
You can make chess piece shaped cookies for the chess lover in your life, go watch people play, get caught up in the wonders of the sport!
