- By Prerna Targhotra
- Thu, 20 Jul 2023 07:55 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
World Chess Day 2023: Every year, the occasion of International Chess Day is celebrated across the globe with great joy and enthusiasm. Chess is considered one of the most popular and elite indoor games in the world. This occasion is celebrated to raise awareness about chess and recognise and acknowledge chess players across the world.
International Chess Day 2023: History
The history of World Chess Day dates back to the year 1942 when UNESCO established International Chess Day to honour the founding of the International Chess Federation, FIDE by its French abbreviation in the year 1996. FIDE is an international organisation that brings along various chess federations and organisations across the world and organises and serves chess tournaments.
International Chess Day 2023: Theme
The theme for International Chess Day 2023 focuses majorly on promoting chess to make it universal and accessible to all. The theme for World Chess Day 2022 was “Women in Chess.”
Mind-Blowing Facts About Chess
The number of potential chess games is vaster than all the estimated atoms in the universe combined.
The longest game of Chess can last about 5,900 moves based on the various movement combinations.
Blindfolded Chess is an impressive skill that most strong players possess. It requires the ability to ‘see’ the board clearly in the mind, which becomes very difficult after many moves.
The longest chess game in recorded history lasted 269 moves but ended in a draw.
An American man named Frank Marshall was the first ever to defeat a Soviet player in an international chess tournament back in 1924 in New York City.
The word ‘checkmate’ is derived from the Arabic word ‘shah mat’, which means ‘the king is dead (helpless)’ in English.
The first modern chess board was created in Europe back in 1090. It had alternating light and dark squares, similar to the way it appears on modern game boards today.
A computer known as ‘Deep Thought’ became the first of its kind to beat an international champion at Chess in November of 1988 in Long Beach, California.