National Chess Day

The game of chess got its start many centuries ago, as early as 600 AD, with a similar game from India known as chaturanga, which was likely an ancestor of chess.

This game was likely used as a way to promote strategic training for those in the military.

It was probably several hundred years later that chess, as it is known today, developed.

Books about chess were published as early as the 16th century and one of the earliest famous players was a Spanish priest by the name of Ruy Lopez.

In the United States in 1976, then President Gerald Ford declared October 9 to be National Chess Day, and it has stuck since then. With more than 100 countries recognizing chess as a sport, National Chess Day is not only a national celebration but can also be extended internationally and all around the world!