July 20 — International Chess Day: theme, events, interesting facts

Every year on July 20, the International Chess Day is celebrated all over the world. It is an enduring holiday, celebrated on the same day every year. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Sunday. Izvestia tells about how the international date appeared and what events are timed to coincide with this day in Russia.

The history of the International Chess Day

The holiday has been celebrated on the initiative of UNESCO since 1966 and is timed to coincide with the founding day in Paris of the International Chess Federation (Federation Internationale des Echecs, FIDE, FIDE), which celebrated its centenary last year.

In 2019, the UN General Assembly also added Chess Day to the calendar of holidays in recognition of the important role of the International Chess Federation in promoting international cooperation and striving to expand friendly harmony between the peoples of the world.

Every year, this holiday unites millions of fans of intellectual games, regardless of their age, place of residence and level of professional training.

The theme of the International Chess Day in 2025

On International Chess Day, under the auspices of FIDE, world championships and competitions are held on all continents among men, women, youth, the elderly and people with disabilities.

In 2024, to mark International Chess Day and the centenary of FIDE, the Guinness World Record for the number of chess games was even set. During the day, more than 7.2 million games were played in more than 350 tournaments around the world. The federation plans to develop this trend this year.

The celebrations in 2025 will be held under the motto "Every move counts." As noted on the organization's website, this slogan is intended to remind residents of different countries that every decision determines our path both on the board and in life.

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Events dedicated to Chess Day in Russia on July 20

Festive events such as tournaments, quizzes and exhibitions will also be held in Russia. So, for the International Chess Day on July 20, the Russian Chess Federation organizes chess tournaments and a simultaneous game session on Gogol Boulevard, in the center of Moscow.

The Victory Museum on Poklonnaya Gora will present a special program on July 19 and 20. Here chess lovers of different ages will be able to get acquainted with chess terminology, tasks, sketches and test their skills. In addition to the classic board game, guests will be offered to play a game on a large playing field with giant pieces.

In addition, Muscovites and guests of the capital will be able to visit the Chess Code exhibition. Game. Science. Art" in Zaryadye Park, which presents unique chess sets and materials about outstanding chess players. The exhibition will run until August 31. You can get to it by tickets.

On the eve of the holiday, a press conference was also held in Moscow with the participation of famous grandmasters dedicated to the International Chess Day. It was held at the Izvestia Press center on July 17. During the event, the guests talked about the achievements of Russian chess players, upcoming tournaments and the popularization of chess in Russia. The broadcast was carried out on the Izvestia website.

Many "chess" events are planned in other Russian cities. In St. Petersburg, the central venue will be the Palace Square. On weekends, master classes, simultaneous game sessions and theatrical "live chess" are organized there with the participation of grandmasters and artists in themed costumes.

On the eve of the International Chess Day, an open chess tournament has started in Kazan. It takes place as part of the "The Power of Russia" sports marathon. Rapid chess competitions are scheduled for July 20 in the Central City Park of Yekaterinburg. Similar events on the holiday will be held in Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd, Novosibirsk, Yakutsk and other cities.

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Interesting facts about chess

Chess is one of the oldest intellectual games, combining sports, scientific thinking and elements of art. It is believed that the game originated from the Indian chaturanga, which in ancient India was the name of an army consisting of war chariots, elephants, cavalry and foot soldiers.

The game symbolized a battle involving four branches of the armed forces, led by the supreme leader, the Rajah. Four people participated in it, and the movement of the pieces was determined using dice.

Later, the game became popular in Persia. The first mentions of it are contained in manuscripts dating back to the 6th century. Closer to the tenth century, chess gained popularity in Europe, and then in Medieval Russia. Ivan the Terrible loved to play chess and often invited his entourage to play, including Boris Godunov and Malyuta Skuratov. There is even a version that the tsar died during one of the chess games.

But if the game was originally widespread among the nobility in Russia, then from the first third of the 20th century it became widespread. Chess organizations and clubs were established in the cities, and in 1920 the first national chess championship was held in our country. Since then, it has been held on a regular basis, revealing many bright names.

Russian chess players have repeatedly shown brilliant play at both national and international tournaments. Among them are Anatoly Karpov, who held the world chess crown for 10 years, Vladimir Kramnik, the world champion in classical chess, Yan Nepomnyashchy, a two—time World Cup winner, and Sergey Karjakin, the youngest Russian grandmaster, who received the title at the age of 12.

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