It was a freedom advocate named Will who inspired this post. Stocky and muscular, he had a rugged Robin Williams look about him, as he stood out front of the polling place influencing political opinion and… playing internet chess on his mobile phone. 😆 (Well during his lunch break anyway).
A brief history
Chess (the board game) is said to have originated in India 1,500 years ago and migrated to Persia shortly thereafter. From here early versions of the game spread to Mongolia, Russia, China and Japan.
By the 1500s, the game had evolved into what we mostly know today and competitions were being play throughout the world, particularly Europe.
In the 1800s, time controls were added (sand-glasses and pendulums) to deliberately speed up competitions. And the 1850s, competitive chess has become recognised as a sport.
In 1914 the title of Grand Master was first formally conferred by Tsar Nicholas II of Russia upon the world’s top 5 chess players of the day. (Though some dispute this claim).
The World Chess Federation was founded in 1924 and the Women’s World Chess Championship 3 years later.
Karpov, Kramnik, Kasparov and Fischer were all World Champions and household names last century.
Viswanathan Anand of India and now Magnus Carlsen of Norway have dominated the game for the past 15 years.
Chess and our Community
So why am I writing about a board game in a community building blog? Well let's examine the benefits of Chess.
Fosters strategic thinking.
Is social in nature.
Encourages healthy competition.
Can be played on rainy days.
Keeps children busy for hours.
Fun.
Free to play!
Chess clubs are popular the world over and chess competitions could attract new people to your community.
Most importantly though - chess can be played, even if the lights go out.