Sports & Gaming

Chess 101: Who Invented Chess? Learn About the History of Chess and 3 Memorable Chess Games

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Sep 2, 2022 • 6 min read

Human beings have been playing some version of chess for more than 1,400 years. It’s one of the oldest and most widely played games in the world and has attained a cultural and intellectual significance that few other activities can match. Chess is so deeply rooted in our lives that individual games—like Bobby Fischer’s victory over Boris Spassky in 1972, or Garry Kasparov’s loss to Deep Blue in 1997—become significant historical milestones.