Chess: The Oldest, Most Popular Game In The World Thrives In Wyoming

Winds Of Change

Did you know chess is one of the most popular and oldest games in the World?

Lucas and Austin lead a discussion on how chess has made a huge comeback!

“But as I recall, the chess boom kind of happened right after COVID started because everyone had to stay inside, and no one enjoyed life. And then they found that they could play chess for free online. And they're like, oh, I've been meaning to learn chess. And so they hop on, they'll start playing chess and it was, I remember Chess.com and lichess.org, that two of the bigger sites online for playing chess kind of heated up. And then The Queen's Gambit dropped and everyone and their dogs started playing chess. And so that's where you started seeing a lot of things like just random people playing chess. And then the chess streaming scene popped up quite a bit.”

-Austin Okray

But…we ask what is the Queens Gambit?

The Queen's Gambit is a 2020 miniseries based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. The title refers to the "Queen's Gambit", a chess opening. Beginning in the mid-1950s and proceeding into the 1960s, the story follows the life of Beth Harmon, a fictional chess prodigy on her rise to the top of the chess world while struggling with drug and alcohol dependency.

About Austin:

Austin Okray is a data scientist in the Denver area who lived in Wyoming until recently. When not working or in the outdoors, he enjoys playing and studying the game of chess. His favorite openings are the English Opening and the Kan Sicilian.

About Lucas Fralick:

Lucas is the Program Coordinator for Wyoming Humanities and lives in Gillette, WY. He is an avid reader, bird watcher, and enjoys a good game of chess. Lucas can often be seen playing chess in the wild at coffee shops and other public spaces, frequently using the London System.

About Brian Kuehl:

Brian Kuehl lives in Sheridan, Wyoming with his wife, Michelle and their daughter Catie. Brian is Director of Government and Public Affairs for Pinion Global, an international agriculture business advisory firm. Brian serves as Vice Chairman of the Wyoming Chess Association (www.WyomingChess.com) and as Treasurer of the Sheridan Chess Association (www.SheridanChess.com)

Fun Chess Facts:

• Chess is a required school subject in Armenia.

• The longest official game of chess took place in 1989 that went on for 20 hours and included 269 moves.

• In a single game of chess, there are 400 possible moves after each move played.

• It is possible to checkmate your opponent in just two moves.

• Chess is a proven way to improve memory function.

• About 70% of the adult population has played chess at some point in their lives, and about 605 million adults play chess regularly!

History of Chess:

• The game of chess is believed to have originated in India, where it was call Chaturange prior to the 6th century AD.

• The game became popular in India and then spread to Persia, and the Arabs.

• The Arabs coined the term “Shah Mat”, which translates to “the King is dead”. This is where the word “checkmate” came from.

• Archeologists have discovered ivory playing pieces and chess artifacts in Uzbekistan dating back to 760 AD – chess spread quickly and far!

• The game of chess reached Western Europe around the year 1000.

• Around 1475, changes were made to the game, and it evolved into its more current form. Also, around this time formal rules began to appear.

https://premierchess.com/chess-culture/a-brief-history-of-chess

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_queens_gambit/s01

https://www.forbesindia.com/article/special/how-the-queens-gambit-sparked-a-chess-frenzy/65163/1

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