Where is chess from

It wasn't until the 19th century that chess became widely known. The first chess tournament was held in London The winner was a German by the name of Adolf Anderssen. Adolf Anderssen was also the winner of the " Immortal Game ". The term "Grandmaster" was immortalized by Czar Nicholas II of Russia and the title was informally given to 5 players. History of Chess: The Basics. Updated: May 15, , AM.

Others include- How old is chess? Who invented chess? And other various questions. You get the point :p So, for all the nubsters out there, this article is for you. Articles For Beginners. Opening Theory. Amazing Games. Through conquest and trade on the Silk Roads , the addictive pursuit spread to all points of the compass, notably to Persia and then the Arab world, taking on the name shatranj.

As with both chaturanga and modern chess, winning games of shatranj hinged on the fate of a single piece. Ostensibly, though, the early ethos remained much the same wherever the game travelled.

As well as a recreational pastime, chess was a strategy tool, adopted by military leaders as a way of sharpening their minds for the battlefield. One of the most important steps towards the development of modern chess, however, took place on the Iberian peninsula during the 15th century.

Brought to the region during the age of Muslim rule, it was here that a powerful new piece — the queen — was introduced, replacing a weaker figure known as the counsellor.

Whereas its predecessor could only move diagonally, one square at a time, the queen could move any number of unoccupied squares in multiple directions.

The introduction of the queen in chess is thought to have been inspired by the strong female rulers of medieval Europe, such as Isabella of Castile depicted here with husband Ferdinand of Aragon — although this is disputed by some historians Image Credit: Public Domain.

Crucially, it was Staunton who went on to organise the first international chess tournament in London in , bringing together 16 of the best players from across Europe. This inaugural event — intended to tie in with the Great Exhibition — was won by Prussian teacher Adolf Anderssen, who defeated an English politician named Marmaduke Wyvill in the final. During this famous match actually a friendly played during a break in the tournament , Anderssen sacrificed his two rooks, a bishop and his queen before beating his opponent, Lionel Kieseritzky, using his three remaining minor pieces.

As well as giving rise to several other chess luminaries, such as the American Paul Morphy and Austrian Wilhelm Steinitz, the 19th century was also a period marked by greater standardisation of the game.

In , Howard Staunton lent his endorsement to a chess set patented by newspaper editor Nathaniel Cooke, whose Illustrated London News published a regular column by the famous player.

Similarly, Victorian tournaments also saw the advent of time limits aided by the introduction of mechanical chess clocks in , plus new restrictions placed on the number of moves players could make. In the 20th century, chess also took on a new geopolitical significance.

Once a favourite pastime of the Russian imperial family, it was actively promoted as a game for the masses in the fledgling USSR. With chess sets regarded as an essential staple in both homes and schools, Soviet players would go on to dominate the game for years to come. This would later set the scene for one of the fiercest clashes in chess history: that of Soviet Boris Spassky against the American prodigy, Bobby Fischer, at the World Chess Championship in Iceland.