20 July was celebrated as International Chess Day or World Chess Day every year. The day is celebrated by many of the 605 million regular chess players around the world. Chess is one of the most ancient, intellectual and cultural games, with a combination of sport, scientific thinking and elements of art. As an affordable and inclusive activity, it can be exercised anywhere and played by all, across the barriers of language, age, gender, physical ability or social status. On this day, chess enthusiasts from all over the world will celebrate the wonderful game that brings us all together. It marks the anniversary of the International Chess Federation. On this very day, the International Chess Federation was established in Paris (France) in the year 1924. It is said that a form of chaturanga traveled to Persia, where the name of the “king” piece changed from the Sanskrit rajah to the Persian shah. From shah all European names for the game are derived. Thereafter we got the English words “chess” and “check” from the French descendant echec. Chess is also known as the “Game of Kings” as earlier in the past, it was just played by the Nobel and Kings. Chess is likely one of the oldest games of this era. Wilhelm Steinitz, the first World Champion, widely considered the “father of modern chess,” extensively analyzed various double king-pawn openings in his book The Modern Chess Instructor, published in 1889 and 1895.
One of the prime objectives behind the observance of World Chess Day is to acknowledge the role of the International Chess Federation. The Federation plays a critical role in supporting international cooperation for chess activity.Chess has broken several barriers whether class, language and culture. It is just simply two people sit down to play one of the most mentally challenging games in the world. Chess is not just a game for entertainment. This ancient board game has been educating humanity across centuries. A game of strategy and wits, chess has long been considered to be the thinking man’s game. From its early days in India to everywhere in the world today, chess is a wonderful game to play anytime, anywhere and with almost anyone. Chess remains a highly popular pastime among the general populace all over the world.
When Persia was conquered by the Arabs, Chess became an important part of the life of the Muslim population and from there it spread to Southern Europe.
26 years and 337 days is the recorded time period — for holding the chess champion title for longest. The longest championship title holder was a German chess player named Dr. Emanuel Lasker. Indian chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand has won the world championship in the three formats of chess – knockout, tournament, and match. Father of modern computer, Alan Turing developed the very first computer program for playing chess in 1951. Back then, however, the computers were not that powerful to process such a game. This left Turing with no other option but to test it by doing the calculation on his own. He played as per the outcome.
There is no doubt that the game of chess comes with a whole lot of benefits increasing the mental faculties of a person with an improvement in the capability to learn, think, and make decisions in the right manner.Today, almost every city has one or more chess clubs, to boost the game, fans, and admirers of this peaceful sport. Chess can help improve your concentration power, creativity and brain gradually. And that’s why everyone should play this game regularly. This game could be an amazing option for passing your leisure time in a quality way.
—The writer is a Free-Lance Journalist, Writer & Cartoonist
