Chess History

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Chess Events (19) World Championships (21) Man - Machine Matches (11) Years in Review (4) Olympiads (8) Computer chess history @

Articles & Resources

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The Origin of Chess
Where did chess come from? The most widely accepted scenario is that chess appeared in India around 600 A.D., was adopted in Persia around 700 A.D., and was absorbed by Arab culture around 800 A.D. Just as chess is a difficult game, its origin is a difficult puzzle. We may never know the truth of its birth.

The French School of Chess (18th/19th cent.)
For nearly 100 years, from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century, French chess players were the strongest in the world. The line from Philidor, to Deschapelles, to La Bourdonnais, to Saint-Amant, reminds us of a modern relay team, each player passing the team's baton to his successor.

Rise of the Soviet Chess Hegemony
Was the fantastic success of 20th century Soviet chess a school or a hegemony? Answers.com: 'hegemony : The predominant influence, as of a state, region, or group, over another or others'. Mikhail Botvinnik, the first Soviet World Champion, thought that it was because the U.S.S.R. treated chess as not just a pasttime and not just a table game.

Chess History Center
Clearing house 'for everybody with a serious interest in chess history'. Don't miss 'Chess Notes' by Edward Winter, the world's leading chess historian.

Chess Archaeology
'Chess is a scientific game'. Articles, historic pictures, unknown games by the greats, and much more.

Chess Journal by Sarah Beth Cohen
Index of history articles used in 'Sarah's Chess Journal (or call it a chess blog, a chess web log, or a chess diary about the history of chess and the culture surrounding it)'.

On the Origin of Chess by Gerhard Josten and colleagues.
Articles on the very beginnings of the game. Associated with the Initiative Group Koenigstein (IGK).

Another view on Chess by Jean-Louis Cazaux
Dedicated to the history of Chess, Xiangqi, Shogi and more.

Best All-Time Games by A.J. Goldsby
List after list of best games by the great masters, many of them annotated.

Canadian Chess by David Cohen
Privately maintained web site dedicated to Canadian chess. History of Canadian chess, Canadian Chess Hall of Fame, quick biographies, and much more.

Chess History by Bill Wall
Chronological list of chess events from the beginning to 1998.

Chess History on the Web
Recommended history sites which are not in English language. By your About Chess Guide.

ChessDryad.com
California Chess History. California chess games, articles, photos, and master ratings

Chessmetrics by Jeff Sonas
Everything you ever wanted to know about historical ratings. Sonas picks up where Elo left off.

Ken Whyld Association
Named after the great English chess historian. 'It is our association’s concern to bring together the information scattered worldwide from collectors of chess literature and extensive chess libraries, and thus give the public access to it.'

On the square (column by John Hilbert & others)
A feature of The Campbell Report on CorrespondenceChess.com. 'Articles directly address some area of chess. Most address correspondence chess subjects.'

Oscar.fide.com
History of the chess oscar.

U.S. Chess Hall of Fame
Biographies on all inductees.

World Chess Hall of Fame
Inductees, news, photos, and articles about U.S. chess history. Opened December 2001 in Miami, Florida. Affiliated with the Sidney Samole Museum and Excalibur Electronics.

Ancient Chess Piece Discovered
If the Albanian artifact is a chess piece, then chess history as we know it is wrong. Does a crown bearing a cross mean it's a King?