International Chess Day 2020
International Chess Day 2020 is observed on 20 July to honour the foundation of the Federation Internationale des Eches (FIDES). It is celebrated as a virtual event and it will be attended by chess players, United Nations and government officials, permanent missions to the UN, representatives of civil society, academia, and other relevant stakeholders. The high-Level virtual event will focus on “Chess for Recovering Better”.
Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2020
Key-Points
On 12 December 2019, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 20 July as World Chess Day to mark the date of the establishment of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in Paris in 1924.
Under initiative of FIDE, July 20 has been observed as International Chess Day by chess players around the world since 1966.
Chess was invented in Northern Indian Subcontinent during the Gupta period (319 – 543 CE). At that time it was named as “Chaturanga”. No doubt this is one of the oldest games of the era. Then this game spread to Persia.
When Persia was conquered by the Arabs, Chess became an important part of the life of the Muslim population and from there it spread to Southern Europe. In Europe, Chess evolved in its current form. And later on, it takes the shape of the modern game.
Federation Internationale des Eches
FIDE is the first institution that is the United Chess Federations of different countries. Alexander Rueb, a Dutch lawyer, and diplomat became the first president.
Around 181 federations of different countries are members of FIDE.
It has moved its headquarters to Lausanne (Switzerland), a city that hosts several sports associations, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Various achievements are boosted by FIDE like defining international chess play rules, the introduction of international sports, and arbiter titles.
Every year, six times the Federation calculates and publishes the Elo ratings. It is the rating of the chess players which is calculated on the basis of games with each other.
On International Chess Day, FIDE is responsible for organising various themes, events, and competitions.