World Chess Day (International Chess Day) Date in the current year: July 20, 2024

Chess is one of the oldest games known to humanity; its history goes back about one and half thousand years. Chess is believed to have evolved from an ancient Indian strategy game named chaturanga, which is commonly considered to be the common ancestor of a number of board games, including xiangqi (China), shogi (Japan), sittuyin (Myanmar) and makruk (Thailand).

From India, chaturanga spread to Persia and then to the Muslim world, where it was renamed shatranj. The game reached Europe around the 9th century. The modern rules of chess were introduced and adopted in Spain and Italy in the 15th century and quickly spread across western Europe. Around the same time, the first writings about the theory of chess strategy were published.

Today, chess is one of the most popular board games in the world. According to FIDE, about 70% of the adult population has played chess at some point during their lives, and there are over 600 million regular chess players across the globe. One of the greatest things about chess is that this game is more affordable and inclusive then most other sports; anyone can play chess, regardless of their age, gender, language, social status or physical ability.

Chess is a combination of sport, scientific thinking and elements of art. It is a truly global game, which encourages mutual respect, inclusion and fairness. Therefore, it can be used to create an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding among peoples and nations around the world. So it is not surprising that there’s an international observance that celebrates the game of chess and promotes it on a global level.

The inaugural International Chess Day was celebrated in 1966 to commemorate the foundation anniversary of the International Chess Federation (Fédération Internationale des Échecs, FIDE). FIDE was founded in Paris on July 20, 1924 by the participants of a chess tournament held during the 1924 Summer Olympic Games. As of 2019, FIDE includes 191 member federations.

FIDE is responsible for organizing the World Chess Championship, world championships for special groups, the Chess Olympiad, the World Team Championship, and other tournaments. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the supreme body responsible for chess championships. FIDE defines the individual and international competition rules of chess, calculates the ratings of chess players, and awards performance-based titles to chess players (Candidate Master, Master, International Master, Grandmaster, and their women’s versions).

In December 2019, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring July 20 as World Chess Day. It aims to highlight the important role of chess and, by extension, FIDE in fostering dialog, solidarity, culture of peace and harmony among peoples.