National Chess Day - National K-12 Grade Championships in Spokane
Italians Leonardo da Cutri and Paolo Boi traveled to Philip the Second’s court in Madrid. They competed against Spanish players Ruy Lopez and Alfonso Ceron, marking the first informal international Chess Tournament.
1939: United States Chess Federation Formed
The American Chess Federation and the National Chess Federation merged to create the United States Chess Federation, establishing a unified body to promote chess nationwide.
1972: Bobby Fischer Wins World Chess Championship
Bobby Fischer, a chess prodigy, became the first and only American-born player to win the World Chess Championship, defeating Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in a match that had the world enthralled.
1976: First National Chess Day Celebrated
1986: World Chess Hall of Fame
The World Chess Hall of Fame opened in the basement of the Chess Federation H.Q. in New York. Over the years, it moved to Washington D.C., Florida, and finally settled in St. Louis, Missouri, becoming a major attraction to chess enthusiasts.
The term ‘checkmate’ originated in Persia and comes from the phrase Sah Mat, which is a warning to the other player that the game will end. The direct translation is ‘the King is Dead’.
The Oldest Known Chess Piece
The oldest known chess pieces were discovered at Afrasiab near Samarkand in Uzbekistan, despite some debate about their origin. The set included seven pieces: a king, chariot, vizier, horse, elephant, and two soldiers. It should be noted that all of these were made of ivory and dated back to 760 A.D.
The First Chess Computer Program
In 1957, an IBM engineer named Alex Bernstein developed the world’s first, fully automated chess engine. This engine, designed for the IBM 704 Mainframe, took eight minutes per move and could play an entire game.
The First Female Grandmaster
Nona Gaprindashvili was the first woman to be awarded the title of Grandmaster in 1978. She earned this title from FIDE, and the achievement came after her outstanding performance at the 1977 Lone Pine International Tournament, where she made history.
Chess was Played in Space
On June 9th, 1970, cosmonauts Adrian Nikolayev and Vitaly Sevastyanov paused their space-flight duties aboard the spacecraft Soyuz 9 to play the first match between Earth and Space.
Staunton did not Create the Staunton Set
Contrary to what people think, Howard Staunton did not design the iconic Staunton set, despite its name. According to the accepted origin story, it was Nathan Cook, an architect, who took inspiration from the city around him to make the timeless chess board we all see.
Celebrity Chess Players
Humphrey Bogart, Stanley Kubrick,and Woody Harrelson are among the best known celebrity chess players and enthusiasts. Kubrick has a rating of 2000, and Peter Thiel achieved the National Master title. So did Washington state Governor Bob Ferguson.
Longest Possible Chess Game
Theoretically and controlled by the 50-Move Rule, the longest game of chess can reach up to 5898.5 moves. The calculation accounts for the resets of the 50-Move Rule, which are initiated by a pawn move or capture.
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