International Chess Day

International Chess Day is annually celebrated on 20 July, the day the International Chess Federation (FIDE) was founded in 1924.

International Chess Day
Observed by	Various countries
Date	20 July
Next time	20 July 2026 (2026-07-20)
Frequency	Annual
First time	1966
Related to	FIDE, Chess

International Chess Day is celebrated every year; the reason behind its celebration is to commemorate the formation of FIDE, the globally recognized governing body of chess. The idea to celebrate the International Day of Chess was first proposed by UNESCO, and it has been celebrated as such since 1966^[1] 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.^[2]

On 12 December 2019, the UN General Assembly unanimously approved a resolution recognizing the day.^[3]

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