International Chess Day 2022: Know The Date, Significance & History of the Sports Day!

Chess is a sport that requires strategy, planning and effective use of one's intellect. A highly popular and one of the oldest sports all across the world, chess is played by millions. While some pursue it as a pastime as they aim to sharpen their minds, many others take it up professionally, making a career out of it while earning laurels for their countries by coming up with match-winning moves on the chequered board. As a matter of fact, many parents all over the world start having their kids take up the sport at a very young age, which in turn not only helps them get better at it but also sharpens their wit and mind. Chess is also a sport that teaches the important virtues of patience and observation, as one ought to analyze their opponent's moves by observing them meticulously and then patiently waiting for making one's own move. Chess Olympiad 2022 Torch Relay Reaches Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

A survey, conducted in the year 2012 reportedly revealed that around 605 million adults play the game all over the world. That number can only be expected to grow as the years have progressed and we entered this new decade. As a matter of fact, people started playing more chess after the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world and they were confined to their homes after several governments around the world announced complete lockdowns. With the pandemic in place, professional chess events are also held online, making way for this unique sport to grow with the rise and increased usage of technology. A game that has 64 squares on a board placed arranged in an eight-by-eight pattern, the main objective of a chess match is to 'checkmate' the opponent, leaving him/her unable to make any move.

International Chess Day 2022 Date & Significance

July 20, as stated earlier, is celebrated as International Chess Day every year. The sport is said to have been a successor to the game known as 'Chaturanga', which means four divisions. Pretty similar to chess, the name of this game can be literally translated to 'four-arms', which signifies the four divisions used in an army--infantry, cavalry, elephantry, and chariotry.

The pieces of the game were too named accordingly. However, the difference between Chaturanga and chess was that the former did not have any black and white squares. Chess resembled the way of life of the emperors back in the day. Questions remain about the origin of the game with multiple sources attributing the same to India, China, Russia, and Central Asia. The evolution of the game into what we know as today, can be credited to Europe.

History of International Chess Day

Now, why is July 20 celebrated every year as International Chess Day? The answer to this question dates way back to the 1924 summer Olympic Games where on this very day, the FIDE (World Chess Federation) was founded. The FIDE's founding date in 1966, was when the first International Chess Day was celebrated. Furthermore the UN General Assembly, in the year 2019, delegated this day (July 20) as International Chess Day.

So on this day, many would compete in chess tournaments and further hone their skills in this beautiful board game. Sport is something that transcends borders and brings people together and chess is no different at all. Also, let's hope that on this memorable day, many new ones would learn how to play the game! Happy International Chess Day 2022!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 20, 2022 07:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).