Funny Chess Facts

Chess Was Banned in Iceland (Sort of): In the early 1980s, Iceland’s government tried to ban a specific version of chess because it was deemed too confusing. The ban didn’t last long, as chess eventually became one of the country’s favorite pastimes!

The Longest Game Ever Played: The longest game ever recorded lasted 269 moves! It was played between Nikita Plaksin and Vasily Ivanov in 1989. You might be wondering, how can a game even last that long? They were in a king-and-pawn endgame with no one really wanting to commit to a winning move!

A Queen is the Most Powerful Piece—But Still Gets the Least Respect: The Queen in chess is the most powerful piece, but historically, queens were often treated with disdain. In ancient times, the queen was a much weaker piece, and it was called the “advisor” or “vizier.” Talk about an upgrade!

Bizarre Chess Opening: The Fool’s Mate: The fastest checkmate that can happen in chess is called Fool’s Mate. It happens in just two moves, but only if your opponent is really bad at chess. It’s where White makes the mistake of opening with pawn to f3, then Black responds with pawn to e5, and if White plays the next move (like a bishop or queen move), Black can checkmate them.