International Chess Day is
annually celebrated on 20 July, the day the
International Chess Federation
The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE ( , ), is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national chess federations and acts as the gove ...
(FIDE) was founded in 1924.
International Chess Day is celebrated every year; the reason behind its celebration is to commemorate the formation of
FIDE
The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE ( , ), is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national chess federations and acts as the Spor ...
, the globally recognized governing body of chess. The idea to celebrate the International Day of Chess was first proposed by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
, and it has been celebrated as such since 1966
after it was established by FIDE. In 2013, International Chess Day was celebrated in 178 countries according to Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the then President of FIDE.
On 12 December 2019, the
UN General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its 79th session, its powers, ...
unanimously approved a resolution recognizing the day.
References
External links
*{{usurped,
International Chess Day website}
Chess
July observances
1966 in chess