Chess players unite, this Saturday it’s time to spread the good will and fun of the classic thinking board game.
A popular theory credits the Indian war game — ‘chaturanga’ — as the inspiration for chess. People regard this as the precursor of chess as it had two key features found in later chess variants — different pieces had different functions and the victory was based on one piece (the king, in modern chess). Versions of this game reached the east, north, and west, taking on very different characteristics each time. A version of chaturanga or a later variant called ‘shatranj’ made its way into Europe through Persia, the Byzantine Empire, and the Arabian Empire.
INTERNATIONAL CHESS DAY – July 20, 2024 – National Today
UPDATE 7/202/2024 @ 7:30am PST: Was just thinking that this is a hot time of year to enjoy chess and that maybe December 20 would be a more chill day, from a temperature standpoint, to enjoy the game of chess.
Being serious, I used to play chess a lot against my grandfather, who was a much, much better chess player than me. It’s a game that really digs into your brain — but in a good way. There are many ways these days to play chess against other people, that are online. Of course, the premier site for chess is the International Chess Federation (https://www.fide.com/), but you can just go play right now online at https://www.chess.com/
Enjoy a day celebrating all things chess!