Interesting Chess Facts

Dating back some 5000 years ago, chess is one of the world's most ancient and popular games, known by everyone and played by millions. Games are held in homes, at clubs, online and by mail either for recreation or in a competition or tournament. For those few of you who might not own a chess set, the aim of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king, opening him up to direct attack and winning you the game!

Due to chess being one of the oldest games created there are many interesting facts surrounding it. The main consensus is that chess originates from India, due to its similarities to a Hindu game called Chaturanga that has been around just as long. However, the word ‘checkmate’ actually derives from a Persian phrase ‘shah mat,’ translating into ‘the king is defeated.’ The game is so lost in its antiquity that no-one really knows where its origins lay.

Most chess players, who evolved into masters, became students at an early age. World chess champion Jose Capablanca began to play chess at the age of four after watching his father, Anatoly Karpov was taught the moves of chess also at four years old and then went on to become a grandmaster and world champion, and Boris Spassky learned the strategies of the game at the age of five. International grandmaster is one of the highest titles you can receive, Judit Polgar achieved this at 15 years old and Bobby Fischer was awarded the title of international master at 14 years old. Of course chess isn’t only for the very young, it’s popular with all ages. Gyorgy Negyesy who died in 1992, just before his 99th birthday, was the longest living master chess player.

Chess games can last hours or minutes depending on the skill of the players or even their luck. There have been games which involved only 1 move, incredibly enough! One such game was held between Rogoff and Huber in 1972. At the other end of the time scale, one of the longest games recorded was between Nikolic and Arsovic, held in Yugoslavia in 1989. The game involved 269 moves and took over 20 hours, ending in a draw.

Women regularly win championships and claim world titles too. Nona Gaprindashvili became the first woman to win a men's chess tournament in 1977 when she tied for first place at Lone Pine and then went on to achieve men's international grandmaster status in 1978. The youngest women’s world champion of all was Maia Chiburdanidze who was 17 years old when she won the women's title (from Gaprindashvili) in 1978. Susan Polgar was the first woman in history to qualify for the men's world championship in 1986 and went on to receive the grandmaster title in 1991. Edith Price was 76 when she won the British ladies championship in 1946.

Not satisfied with a ‘normal’ game of chess, some players like to set themselves a challenge and that’s exactly what George Koltanowski did when he played 56 consecutive games in 1960. In 1977, Czechoslovakian Vlastimil Hort played 550 opponents, 201 of them simultaneously. He won all but 10 games in just over thirty hours. He won 50 and drew the other 6. He also played blindfolded! In 1997, Dimitrije Bjelica played 312 games simultaneously, winning 219, losing 1 and drawing 92. Not everyone is a winner of course as was proved when Austrian master Josef Krejcik played 25 games simultaneously in 1910 and lost every one.

Chess sets are not only practical and simple, many of them are beautifully crafted and unique. The Isle of Lewis chess set was discovered in 1170. Carved from walrus tusks, each of the characters is shown in a bad mood, ranging from anger to depression. For a chess board with a difference, check out the one that allows for 3 players. It follows the same rules as two player chess with slightly different rules for moves made through the centre of the board. And if it is unique chess pieces you are seeking, take a look at Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali’s classic design that substituted the traditional chessmen with silver fingers and thumbs based on his own digits.

Interested in the game of chess now? All you need to do is purchase yourself a basic chess set and you can start learning how to play chess today. Oh, and you will need a willing partner of course! Or if you already know how to play why not treat yourself and upgrade your chess board and chess pieces with a quality set?