Chess is a board game for two rivals, where a square board of 64 squares of two colors and 32 pieces is involved. India is considered the historical homeland, translated from the Persian “shah” - the king, “mat” - died. International chess day, both amateurs and professional players celebrate July 20.
1,500 years in the history of chess
The legend from the Book of Kings (10th century, India) tells such a version of the game. The mighty queen was born two twin sons. Equal in strength and intelligence, they could not both become rulers. There should be only one king. Mother, on the advice of the sages, sends them to war, where everyone must prove himself as a hero.
The brothers win the battle with the adversary, but during the battle, Giv adjusts the death of Talhand. No one dares to tell the queen how her second son died. Only one sage invents a game on a board made of cells with figures of characters and in the course of chess moves tells her the true situation.
Game options
The first options were for two or 4 players. Pawns defended the king from both sides, and camels were present on the board. The queen (the king’s mentor) could not move more than one square from the main piece. The moves of other figures have also changed. Elephants could walk diagonally on only three cages.
Chaturanga, where 4 opponents played from the four corners of the board with 8 pieces each (pair to pair), is a late variation of chess. How the figures walked and what were their meanings did not reach us, but it is known that it was from this version that the Arab game “shatrange” originated. For the Persians, it was transformed into a “shatrang”, for the Mongols, a “shatar”, and when it came to the Tajiks, it was called “chess” (defeated ruler).
Chess Recognition
In 1966, the International Chess Day was officially designated. The history of the game of one and a half thousand years gave her the right to be called the most ancient entertainment of the mind and strategy. The holiday initiative belongs to FIDE, the World Chess Organization and UNESCO. The first time this day was celebrated in France, since then it has been held around the world in the form of tournaments, thematic events and competitions.
The tradition of celebrating International Chess Day was enthusiastically accepted in 178 countries of the world. Tournaments and simultaneous games are popular both in places of detention and among politicians such as Obama, V. Zhirinovsky, V. Yushchenko.
The best chess players of the world
In 1886, William Steinitz, an Australian who accepted American citizenship, became the first world chess champion. Before him, Luis Lucena and Rui Segura (Spain), Giovanni Coutri and Joaquino Greco (the Neopolitan Kingdom), F. Filidor and L. Labourdonne (France) were recognized as the best. These are the players of the 19th century.
The best in the 20th and 21st centuries are Lasker (Germany), Capablanca (Cuba), Euwe (Netherlands), Fisher (USA), Anand (India), Topalov (Bulgaria), Carlsen (Norway). But most of all champions from Russia: A. Alekhine, M. Botvinnik, V. Smyslov, M. Tal, T. Petrosyan, B. Spassky, A. Karpov, G. Kasparov, A. Khalifman, V. Kramnik. Also worth mentioning are Ruslan Ponamarev (Ukraine) and Rustam Kasymdzhanov (Uzbekistan).
On International Chess Day, photos of the smartest players decorate the halls. Their names went down in history as did their parties. The best strategists and logicians of the planet, which their countries are proud of, have united in one organization since 2006.
Moscow, 2015
International Chess Day (2015) in Moscow was marked by a grandiose action. The opening ceremony was attended by President of the International Federation K. Ilyumzhinov, President of the Moscow Federation V. Palikhat, grandmasters M. Manakova, S. Karjakin, A. Savina, Y. Nepomnyashchy and other honorary representatives and guests.
Events for the International Chess Day started immediately on 5 separate venues in the city. The grand opening, where the leaders of the Federation and UNESCO representatives congratulated the chess players, was filled with humor and friendly warmth.
At school No. 1883, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov reminded the children that chess is not so much a sport as education of inner perseverance and culture. This is art and science all rolled into one. A. Akhmetov conducted a simultaneous game with the best players of the studio.
On
Strastnoy Boulevard, honored guests, after congratulations and gifts, played a game of floor chess. Further A. Golichenkov spoke about the successes of the young club of the Law Faculty of Moscow State University within the university. T. Gvilava shared her hopes for the development of the project “Lift to the Future”.
V. Palihata and the grandmasters arrived at the chess school with the beautiful name “Etude” in the evening and opened the 2nd round of the Moscow Cup in a festive atmosphere. The holiday ended with a game of “live chess” and a discussion of the all-Russian project “Chess at school”.
Game art
International Chess Day is celebrated with enthusiasm throughout the world. The game is the pursuit of excellence through training, the development and maintenance of form, ambition and victory. The Olympic Committee recognized this sport in 2006, but is not going to include it in the program, as well as checkers and bridge.
This distrust of chess is due to the preconceived notion that sport is primarily physical development. And all that is connected with the mental is culture and art. International Chess Day is not only a celebration of the unity of players, but also an action against the mistrust of the Olympic Committee.
Aspects of the action can be voiced as follows:
- During the game, both hemispheres of the brain are involved. Abstract and logical thinking work in one direction at once.
- Memory uses operational processes and long-term, which trains intellectual abilities.
- Logic, emotional stability, desire to win, error analysis are developing.