American Chess Day: Ways To Celebrate, Interesting Facts About The Classic Game

On American Chess Day, observed Sept. 1, lovers of chess in the U.S. have an excuse to celebrate the classic game of skill and strategy.

Chess is certainly no ordinary game, and it is loved by people of all ages across the country and the world. In 2020, the hit Netflix miniseries, "The Queen’s Gambit," even sparked a renewed interest in the game, with Google reporting its highest level of searches for "chess" in 14 years.

Whether one is a seasoned chess player or perhaps a new one who's still learning the game, chess fans across the U.S. are invited to celebrate their love of chess on American Chess Day.

One way to do this would be to host your own chess tournament, even if it's just at home and with a few family and friends or perhaps online. Introducing someone to the game would also be a nice way to celebrate as it may encourage a new batch of chess enthusiasts, while those in New York City may even visit the "Chess District."

On this day, let's celebrate the beloved game with some interesting chess facts. (Courtesy: Chess.com, The Chess World Chess Power and the Official Staunton Chess Company)

1. The word "Checkmate" in the game is from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat." It means "the King is dead."
2. Theoretically, the longest chess game possible is 5,949 moves.
3. The folding chessboard was invented by a priest as they were forbidden to play chess. With the folding board, it simply looked like two books on a bookshelf.
4. In 1988, a computer called Deep Thought became the first computer to beat an international grandmaster.
5. At the Mason-Mackenzie game in 1882, there were 72 consecutive queen moves.
6. The mechanical chess clock was invented by Thomas Wilson in 1883. Before then, sandglasses were used in the game.
7. The largest public library for chess is the John G. White Collection at the Cleveland Public Library. It has over 32,000 chess books.
8. There are ways to mate in just two moves from the starting position. This two-move checkmate is called the Fool's Mate.
9. The longest chess game tournament ever was between Ivan Nikolic and Goran Arsovic in Belgrade in 1989. It ended in 269 moves. It lasted for 20 hours and ended in a draw.