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Chess history — where chess came from and who shaped it
The story of chess from India to today: how it was invented, how its pieces and rules changed, the world champions, great players, famous games and records.
The story of chess
From a war game in India to the game played everywhere today.
Who invented chess? How chaturanga began in IndiaChess began in India as chaturanga around the 6th century CE. What historians know, what they still argue about, and which famous stories are only legends.Chess in Persia and the Islamic world: chatrang and shatranjHow chess came from India to Persia as chatrang, became shatranj in the Islamic world, gave us the word checkmate and travelled on to Spain and Europe.Chess in medieval Europe: how the game arrived and changedHow chess reached Europe around the 10th century through Spain, Italy and Byzantium, won over kings and monks, and turned the vizier into a queen.Chess in India: from chaturanga to world championsIndia gave the world chess. The whole story: chaturanga, shatranj at Indian courts, Sultan Khan, Anand, Gukesh and India's 100 grandmasters.The birth of modern chess: the new queen, Lucena, Ruy López and GrecoHow chess became the modern game in Spain and Italy around 1475–1500: the new queen and bishop, the first printed chess books, Ruy López and Greco.Chess from coffeehouses to world championships: 1700 to todayHow chess grew from Paris and London coffeehouses into tournaments, world championship matches, FIDE, the Soviet school, ratings and online play.Chess and computers: from the Mechanical Turk to StockfishThe story of chess machines: the Mechanical Turk hoax, Turing and Shannon, Deep Blue beating Kasparov, tablebases, Stockfish, AlphaZero, and why chess isn't solved.
Pieces and rules
Where each piece got its name and powers, and how the rules settled.
How the rules of chess changed: queens, castling, stalemate and moreFrom the weak medieval queen to the 75-move rule: when castling, en passant, promotion, stalemate and the draw rules took their modern form.Chess pieces: their names in many languages and their historyWhere the chess pieces got their names, from Sanskrit and Persian to Hindi, Urdu and European languages, how their moves changed, and the 1849 Staunton set.How to play chess: the rules explained for beginnersLearn how to play chess step by step: set up the board, how each piece moves, check and checkmate, castling, en passant, draws and tips for your first game.
World champions
Everyone who has held the world title.
World chess champions: the full list from Steinitz to GukeshEvery world chess champion from Wilhelm Steinitz in 1886 to Gukesh, how each won the title, FIDE's split title of 1993–2006 and the 2026 title match.Women's world chess champions: the full list, 1927 to todayEvery women's world chess champion from Vera Menchik in 1927 to Ju Wenjun, how the title has been decided, and the next challenger, India's Vaishali Rameshbabu.
Great players
The players who changed how chess is played.
François-André Philidor: chess master, composer and pawn pioneerFrançois-André Philidor (1726–1795) was the best chess player of his age and a famous composer. His life, his pawn ideas, his blindfold play and a model game.Paul Morphy: the chess genius from New OrleansPaul Morphy (1837–1884) beat the best players in Europe in 1858, then quit serious chess at 22. His life, his style, the Opera Game and why he still matters.Adolf Anderssen: the master of the Immortal GameAdolf Anderssen (1818–1879) won London 1851, the first international chess tournament, and played the Immortal and Evergreen Games. His life, style and legacy.Wilhelm Steinitz: the first official world chess championWilhelm Steinitz (1836–1900) became the first official world chess champion in 1886 and taught the world positional chess. His life, his ideas and his best game.Emanuel Lasker: world chess champion for 27 yearsEmanuel Lasker (1868–1941) was world chess champion from 1894 to 1921, longer than anyone else. A mathematician with a practical, fighting style.José Raúl Capablanca: the Cuban world chess championJosé Raúl Capablanca (1888–1942), the Cuban genius who was world champion from 1921 to 1927, famous for simple, clear play and superb endgames.Alexander Alekhine: the attacking world chess championAlexander Alekhine (1892–1946) beat Capablanca in 1927 and is the only world chess champion who died holding the title. His life, style and best ideas.Vera Menchik: the first Women's World Chess ChampionVera Menchik (1906–1944) was the first Women's World Chess Champion, from 1927 until her death, and beat many leading men, including Max Euwe.Mikhail Botvinnik: the patriarch of Soviet chessMikhail Botvinnik (1911–1995) was world champion three times and the teacher of Karpov, Kasparov and Kramnik. His life, training methods and best game.Mikhail Tal: the Magician from Riga and his daring sacrificesMikhail Tal (1936–1992), the Magician from Riga, won the world title in 1960 with wild attacking chess. His life, his style and his most famous game.Bobby Fischer: the American prodigy who became world championBobby Fischer (1943–2008) was a chess prodigy at 13 and became world champion in 1972 by beating Boris Spassky in Reykjavik. His story and his best game.Anatoly Karpov: the boa constrictor of world chessAnatoly Karpov was world champion from 1975 to 1985 and FIDE champion in the 1990s. His squeezing style, his rivalry with Kasparov and his best game.Garry Kasparov: world chess champion from 1985 to 2000Garry Kasparov was world champion from 1985 to 2000 and world No. 1 for a record 255 months. His Karpov matches, Deep Blue and his finest game.Judit Polgár: the strongest woman in chess historyJudit Polgár reached No. 8 in the world and a 2735 rating, the best ever by a woman. How she took on the world's best, and how she beat Kasparov.Viswanathan Anand: India's first grandmaster and world championViswanathan Anand became India's first grandmaster in 1988 and was world champion from 2007 to 2013. His fast play, his titles and India's chess boom.Magnus Carlsen: world champion and the highest-rated player everMagnus Carlsen was world champion from 2013 to 2023 and holds the highest FIDE rating ever, 2882. His rise, his records and his status in November 2026.Gukesh Dommaraju: the youngest undisputed world chess championGukesh Dommaraju of India became the youngest undisputed world chess champion at 18 in 2024. His rise, his title match with Ding Liren and his 2026 defence.
Famous games and records
The games everyone should know, and chess by the numbers.
The most famous chess games in history, explained simplyTen of the most famous chess games ever played, from the Immortal Game of 1851 to Gukesh's world title win in 2024, with full moves, diagrams and why each matters.The Game of the Century: Byrne vs Fischer, 1956, explainedIn 1956, 13-year-old Bobby Fischer beat Donald Byrne with a stunning queen sacrifice. The full game, the key moments explained simply, and why it's so famous.Kasparov vs Topalov 1999: Kasparov's Immortal explainedGarry Kasparov's 1999 win over Veselin Topalov at Wijk aan Zee: the 24.Rxd4 rook sacrifice, a king hunt across the whole board, the full moves and diagrams.Deep Blue vs Kasparov: the day a computer beat the world championHow IBM's Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov in 1997: the 1996 and 1997 match results, how the machine worked, the decisive game 6, the cheating row and what it meant.Chess records: longest game, youngest GM, highest rating and moreChess by the numbers: the longest game ever played, the fastest checkmate, the highest rating, the youngest grandmaster and world champion, and simul records.
Famous people and chess
Writers, scientists, artists and leaders who loved the game.
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