Fide chess Museum
Chess table
This chess table, crafted by the renowned Russian and Soviet artist Alexander Rodchenko, stands as a testament to the principles of constructivism
Welcome to the FIDE
Chess Museum!
Here you can discover the fascinating world
of chess through our diverse
our diverse
Here you can discover the
fascinating
world of chess
through our diverse
collection of exhibits 
Explore the game’s history 
and learn about
the 100-year path
of the International
Chess Federation
of the
International Chess Federation
which is celebrating
its centenary.
its
centenary.
The game is just
beginning!
History of chess
550
Kannauj, North India
The early history of chess, like all history, is born in the fog of the pre-dawn twilight, and historians often only guess the outlines of the past. According to most researchers, the continuous history of chess begins in the north of India, on the banks of the Ganges, in the city of Kannauj, during the reign of Raja Devsarma (Sarva-Varman).
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FIDE history
1913 — 2024
International Chess Federation (FIDE) is one of the oldest sporting bodies in the world. Over the past 100 years, it has been the central driving force for the development of chess globally, and that remains one of our key goals. This timeline shows the history of FIDE since its founding a century ago in Paris, France till present.
50 facts about chess
fact 1
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 10^79, while the number of unique chess games is 10^120
fact 2
The longest chess game theoretically possible is 5,949 moves
fact 3
The longest time for a Castling move to take place was the match game between Bobotsor vs. Irkov in 1966: 46. 0-0
fact 4
As late as 1561, Castling was two moves. You had to play R-KB1 on one move and K-KN1 on the next move
fact 5
The word “Checkmate” in Chess comes from the Persian phrase “Shah Mat,” which means “the King is dead.”
fact 6
Otto Blathy (1860-1939) is credited for creating the longest Chess Problem, mate in 290 moves
fact 7
The Police raided a Chess Tournament in Cleveland in 1973, arrested the Tournament director and confiscated the Chess sets on charges of allowing gambling (cash prizes to winners) and possession of gambling devices (the Chess sets)
fact 8
The number of possibilities of a Knight’s touris over 122 million
fact 9
The longest official chess game lasted 269 moves (I. Nikolic – Arsovic, Belgrade 1989) and ended in a draw
fact 10
From the starting position, there are eight different ways to Mate in two moves and 355 different ways to Mate in three moves