The History of International Chess

Chess originated in the Indus Valley in India in the 6th century AD. Originally known as Chaturanga (the "army game"), it spread rapidly along the routes of commerce and conquest, first to Persia, then to the Byzantine Empire, then throughout the rest of Asia. The Muslim world, on the threshold of its greatest scientific and cultural accomplishments, welcomed chess with unbounded delight. The Arabs extensively studied, analysed, and wrote treatises on the game, and in the process developed an algebraic notation system.

Chess reached Europe sometime between 700 and 900. Excavations at a Viking grave site off the south shore of Brittany have brought to light a chess set, and 10th century chess figurines of Scandinavian origin, still made in the traditional Arabic form, have been excavated at Vosges, France. In the Middle Ages chess was played according to the Muslim rules with the Queen and the Bishop comparatively weak pieces, able to move only one square at a time.

In the 16th and 17th centuries the evolution of chess took a quantum leap; the queen became the most powerful piece on the board. The Pawns were also permitted to advance two squares on the first move and the en passant ("in passing") rule permitting pawn captures under these circumstances was introduced to the game, along with the revolutionary concept of castling (this is the version of chess which we play today). Italian players began to dominate the game, wresting the supremacy from the Spanish. The Italians, in turn, were superseded by the French and English during the 18th and 19th centuries, when chess, until then principally the game played by royalty and the aristocracy, spread amongst the common folk. With the public now playing chess, the level of play improved considerably; matches and tournaments were played with greater frequency, and prominent players of the game developed schools and followers.

Until recently, men dominated the chess world - the majority of good chess players were (and still are) men. But then the Polgar sisters of Hungary have smashed that perception. All of them are high-ranked masters. Sofia Polgar won the women's world championship in the spring of 1996, and Judit Polgar, who plays exclusively in men's events, is one of the top-ranked players in the world.

With such widespread global presence, an international chess organization was needed to be established. The Fédération Internationale des Échecs, or FIDE (pronounced FEE-day), has had its troubles, but since 1924 has been a force for unification and world standards. FIDE maintains a numerical rating system for master players, awards titles, organizes the world championship, and runs a biennial chess olympiad that brings together teams from dozens of countries.

In 1993 current world champion Gary Kasparov of Russia and challenger Nigel Short of Great Britain broke with FIDE over terms of their championship match and founded the Professional Chess Association (PCA). That year, Kasparov became the PCA's first champion.

On the next page is a list of past World Champions.