and gambling

TAL ALEKHINE PETROSHINE

SPASSKY
SMYSLOV ANATOLI KARPOV GARY KASPAROV
The International Chess Federation (french Fédération
Internationale des Échecs) is an international organization
based in Switzerland that connects the various national chess 
federations and acts as the governing body of international
chess competition. It is usually referred to by its French 
acronym FIDE 
FIDE was founded in Paris, France, on July 20, 1924. Its motto
is Gens una sumus, Latin for "We are one people". In 1999,
FIDE was recognized by the International Olympic Committee
(IOC). As of September 2020, there are 195 
member federations of FIDE.
CHESS EQUIPMENT
1. Chess Sets
Chess set usually means a board plus pieces
The important thing about a chess set is the size and color of the
pieces should match the size and color of the squares on the board.

Travel chess sets are for use in a car, train, or plane. The pieces
are usually magnetic or pegged and there is a convenient place to
store the pieces as they are exchanged off the board.

Theme chess sets have the opposing armies designed on a specific

motif, usually where the pieces are natural adversaries -- Cowboys vs.
Indians, cats vs. dogs, or traditional rivals in some other sport -- and
are more decorative than functional.
These sets are attractive to collectors, but are not suitable for
tournament use or for serious play
2. Chess Pieces
The most familiar and popular pieces follow the Staunton
pattern, first registered in 1849 by Nathaniel Cook. Staunton pieces
are required for most tournaments. They are normally made from
wood or plastic, although other materials can be used.
When purchasing a chess set, consider the colors of the
opposing armies, the material used, the weight, the base size, the
height of the pieces, and whether the pieces are felted or not.
The pieces need some kind of a storage container when not in
use. Plastic & cloth bags are the most commonly used, but a nice
storage box makes a great gift. Boxes have the advantage that they
can be personalized.
3. Chess boards
Although most chess positions are diagrammed with white &
dark gray squares or use white & black. Inexpensive boards often
come with red & black squares, but these are hard on the eyes.
Boards are also sold built into the table. The board should have
adequate borders to place the clock and captured pieces.

A good, inexpensive choice is a vinyl rollup board, as shown on

the left. These are the boards of choice for tournament use.
4. Chess Clocks
The first clocks, used in the 19th century, were sandglasses,
which kept track of each player's time on a different device.
These were soon superseded by two connected analog
clocks. One player's clock starts as soon as the other player
has made a move and punched the clock.
Analog clocks are equipped with a flag located between
11:00 and 12:00 on each clock face. As the minute hand
gets close to 12:00, its tip catches the flag, and as the clock
continues to run, the flag is pushed from a vertical to a
horizontal position.

As soon as the hand reaches 12:00, the flag falls. If this

happens at a time control and if the player on move has not
made the required number of moves, the game is scored as
a loss on time.

.
Chess Clocks
In recent times digital clocks have become increasingly
popular. These permit more sophisticated time controls like
additional time whenever a move is made and the clock is
punched.
The most important quality of a chess clock is that it be
durable. Clocks are often punched hard and may even be
accidentally knocked to the floor during a blitz game or time
trouble scramble. Some players are convinced that the
strength of a move is in direct proportion to the force with
which the clock is punched.

Another important quality is the loudness of the clock's tick,

if any. This should be audible. .
5. Others
a. Travel bags to carry the board, pieces,
clock, and supplies are a necessity for the
tournament player. This is especially true
where chess sets & clocks are not provided
for tournament play.
b. Score sheets for recording the moves of
a game are another necessity for
tournament play. These are usually issued at
the start of each round in a tournament, but
many players prefer to record their games in
scorebooks.