chess

Chess is a game for 2 players, each of whom moves 16 pieces according to fixed rules across a checkerboard and tries to checkmate the opponent's king. It is the king of all games. It dates back well over 1000 years and is descended from the ancient Aryan game chaturanga (which is also the ancestor to shogi). It requires concentration, patience, and strategy. For many centuries, there was no formal world chess championship, but there were nonetheless a select few who achieved fame for their ideas and successes over the chess board, and sometimes even for their writings. The World Chess Championship was officially created in 1886 when Wilhelm Steinitz defeated Johannes Zukertort in a historic match and became the first champion, holding the title until 1894 when he lost to Emanuel Lasker. With the exception of Bobby Fischer (1972-1975), the Soviet Union dominated chess during the Cold War. The current champion since 2007 is Viswanathan Anand of India.