The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix has brought chess into the spotlight. While its origin is debated, the game evolved during the 16th century. The pieces were standardized in the 19th century, and the official world championship title followed. Modern chess theory dates back to the early 20th century, with computer engines and databases arriving later.
This two-player abstract strategy game represents medieval warfare on a board of alternating light and dark squares. The goal is to use queens, pawns, bishops, knights, and rooks to checkmate the opponent’s king. But, as these facts show, there are many ways to “win” at chess.
10. Jeweler Sets Record for the World’s Smallest Chess Set
In August 2020, Ara Ghazaryan, a jewelry artist from Los Angeles, created the world’s smallest handmade chess set, measuring just 8 mm x 8 mm. The game board is made from 18-carat yellow and white gold with Armenian apricot wood. It rests on a frame of platinum, yellow gold, diamonds, and rubies. The playing pieces range from 1-mm pawns to 2.4-mm kings.
Contrast this with the world’s largest chess set, created in 2009 by the Medicine Hat Chess Club in Canada. The board measures 5.89 m on each side. The king is 119 cm tall and 37.4 cm wide.
Fun Fact: The largest single chess piece is a king that stands 6.09 m tall and 2.79 m in diameter, built by the World Chess Hall of Fame in Saint Louis, Missouri, in April 2018. It’s 53 times the size of a standard king piece.
9. Guy From Idaho Arranges a Chess Set in Half a Minute
In a game that can be lengthy, there’s competition for the fastest setup. In Boise, Idaho, on February 3, 2021, Davis Rush set the world record by arranging a chess set in just 30.31 seconds. Rush has achieved the record multiple times and has also won the team-of-two version with his wife, Jennifer.
Random Fun Fact: The second book ever printed in English was about chess!
8. Two Speed Chess Players Set a Marathon Record
Casual chess games typically last under 60 minutes, while tournament play can range from 10 minutes to six hours or longer. Speed chess involves time controls, such as three to five minutes per player. Some argue that faster time controls reduce the game’s quality. However, the excitement is hard to match.
In November 2018, Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad of Norway set the record for the longest chess marathon for players 16 and older: 56 hours, 9 minutes, 37 seconds.
Fun Fact: In 1985, Eric Knoppet played 500 games of 10-minute chess in 68 hours.
7. The Most Expensive Chess Set Features Precious Metals and Gems
In 2005, a Great Britain jewelry company created the Jewel Royale, the costliest chess set ever made. The solid gold and platinum playing pieces feature gemstones, including diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and black and white pearls. The playing surface is made of yellow and white gold and set with diamonds. Each piece boasts a 16-carat yellow gold spiral of diamonds. The 18-carat yellow gold king weighs 165.2 grams and is worth $100,000 on its own. The entire set is valued at over $9.8 million. A knockoff version sells for about $40,000.
Random Fun Fact: The word “Checkmate” in Chess comes from the Persian phrase “Shah Mat,” which means “the King is dead.”
6. Swiss Schoolchildren Comprise World’s Largest In-Person Chess Lesson
In September 2018, 1,459 participants gathered for the world’s largest in-person chess lesson. Two chess clubs and two schools in Switzerland—Schachklub Muttenz, Kinderschachclub Muttenz, Primarschule Muttenz, and Sekundarschule Muttenz—invited local children to participate. The lesson was held outdoors, where pairs of children played on donated chess sets.
Soviet chess master Garry Kasparov won the world chess championship in 1985 at just 22 years old. In a 2019 Washington Post opinion piece, Kasparov emphasized the importance of providing such lessons to children. “Talent is universal, but opportunity is not, and talent cannot thrive in a vacuum,” he wrote. “Finding talent is a numbers game—the more players there are, the more excellent ones will be found.”
Fun Fact: An estimated 600 million people worldwide know how to play chess!
5. The Chess Game with the Most Moves on Record Ended in a Draw
The average chess game has about 40 moves. This number comes from tournament records and the Mega Database. The numbers vary depending on the players’ caliber, but 40 is the accepted standard.
In a 1989 tournament in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Ivan Nikolic and Goran Arsovic played to a draw, recording 269 moves over 20 hours and 15 minutes! In a 1969 World Junior Championship game (Rogoff-Williams, Stockholm), there was not a single capture until the 94th move! The record for moves without a capture is 100 (Thorton-M. Walker, 1992).
Fun Fact: The longest chess game theoretically possible is 5,949 moves.
4. The World’s Oldest Chess Piece Is More Than 1,500 Years Old
In July 2002, a carved ivory figure with a cross was discovered in Butrint, an ancient city in southern Albania. Found in an old palace, the statuette stands 5 cm tall and dates to 465 AD. If it is a chess piece, it’s the world’s oldest.
The earliest known pieces were discovered at Afrasaib in Uzbekistan. A coin dated 761 was found with a king, chariot, vizier (queen), horse, elephant, and two soldiers. These were also made of ivory.
Random Fun Fact: The number of possible unique chess games is much greater than the number of electrons in the universe. The number of electrons is estimated to be about 1079, while the number of unique chess games is 10120.
3. Turkish Man Sets Record for Having Largest Collection of Chess Sets
Akin Gökyay set a world record for owning the largest collection of chess sets in 2012, with 412 sets. He began his hobby in 1975 and has been growing it ever since. The Gökyay Foundation Chess Museum in Turkey displays over 700 chess sets from 110 countries, making it the world’s largest collection.
Each set is numbered and displayed behind glass, with themes including city skylines (Dallas, London, Ankara), safari animals, mythological figures, Army vs. Navy, police vs. firefighters, The Simpsons, the Smurfs, and even a 9/11-themed set.
2. Blindfold Chess Has Its Own Set of Records
Blindfold chess requires no board or pieces. Players visualize the game and communicate moves via chess notation. Strong players can keep track of the game’s complexities, and new players can improve their skills by training with blindfold chess.
Grandmaster Timur Gareyev holds the world record for blindfold chess. In Las Vegas in 2016, the then 28-year-old American was blindfolded and riding an exercise bike while playing 48 games simultaneously. In a 23-hour timespan, he won 80% of the games and cycled the equivalent of 50 miles.
1. The Second World Chess Champion Reigned Longest
In 1894, Emanuel Lasker (Germany) defeated the first World Chess Champion, Austrian-American Wilhelm Steinitz, in matches played in New York, Philadelphia, and Montreal. Lasker won the championship with 10 wins, 2 losses, and 5 draws. He held his title for 26 years and 337 days, longer than any other player. He lost the title in 1921 but remained among the top players, ending his career in 1936.
Fun Fact: Throughout his chess career, Lasker (a friend of Albert Einstein) published books about mathematics, game theories, and philosophy.
From the smallest chess set to the longest reign, chess is filled with surprising and amazing feats. This game continues to captivate and challenge people around the world.
What’s the most surprising chess fact you’ve ever heard? Leave your comment below!
