Chess is played on an 8×8 board with 16 pieces per side

Chess is played by an estimated 600 million people worldwide

Chess remains one of the most popular games in history, with roughly 600 million players across the globe. The game thrives casually in homes, schools, and parks, while also sustaining robust online communities and professional tournaments.

Chess unfolds in three phases: opening, middlegame, and endgame

Strong play requires adapting across phases: developing pieces and controlling the center in the opening, using tactics and strategy in the middlegame, and applying precise calculation and king activity to convert advantages in the endgame.

Chess can be played at lightning-fast or classical speeds

Time controls shape how the game is played—from bullet matches under three minutes, to blitz games under 10, to classical contests lasting over an hour. Each format demands different skills, from rapid intuition to deep calculation.

Chess traces its roots to chaturanga in sixth-century India

The earliest form of chess, known as chaturanga, emerged in India around the sixth century. The game simulated four divisions of the military—infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots—and laid the foundation for modern chess’ structure and strategy.

There are more chess game variations than observable atoms in the universe

Mathematician Claude Shannon estimated there are 10 to the 120th power variations of chess games possible. Known as the "Shannon number," this is more than the estimated number of atoms in the cosmos.

'Staunton design' became the universal chess set in 1849

Introduced in London in 1849, Staunton chess pieces featured simple, uniform shapes that made every piece easy to recognize. Endorsed by champion Howard Staunton, the design quickly became the international standard and remains the only style approved for tournament play.

FIDE has governed international chess since 1924

The Fédération Internationale des Échecs was founded in Paris in 1924 to unify global chess rules and competitions. Today, it oversees world championships, regulates ratings, and serves as the official governing body for millions of players worldwide.

The first chess game in space ended in a draw in 1970

Soviet cosmonauts Andriyan Nikolayev and Vitaly Sevastyanov played a game of chess against mission control while orbiting Earth aboard Soyuz 9 in 1970. The match ended in a draw—the first recorded game in space.

A 13-year-old Magnus Carlsen challenged Garry Kasparov in 2004

In 2004, prodigy Magnus Carlsen faced reigning world number one Garry Kasparov in a rapid game at age 13. Carlsen held a strong position and nearly defeated Kasparov, signaling the rise of a future world champion.

An 1844 chess match via telegraph anticipated the game's online popularity

The late November match pitted two local rival chess clubs from Baltimore and Washington, DC, against each other. The moves were transmitted over the Baltimore-Washington telegraph line, which had just been installed the previous May.

'In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate.'

- Isaac Asimov

José Raúl Capablanca lost only 34 games in his entire career

World champion from 1921 to 1927, Capablanca was famed for his near-invincible style and masterful endgames. His extraordinary record of just 34 lifetime losses across thousands of games earned him the nickname “The Human Chess Machine.”

Ancient Egyptians played Senet, a board game where players threw sticks or bones as dice.

Making sense of the parts of a check

Though individuals use checks sparingly if at all, half of businesses rely heavily on check-writing to pay suppliers and contractors. Get to know the parts of a check with this visual guide.

How the number 15 solved a longstanding math challenge

The “packing coloring” problem asks how many numbers are needed to fill an infinite grid so that identical numbers never get too close to one another. A new computer-assisted proof finds a surprisingly straightforward answer—only 15. While...

Pizza boxes are square for practical reasons

Although circular pies have sometimes appeared in circular boxes, they usually travel in square, cardboard boxes. That's because the cardboard industry manufactures them with edges so they can be made in one piece and be easily stacked.

There are 32 teams in the NHL

Click a team to see their current record and opponent for the day; read the latest news, including injuries; view the remaining schedule; scan where the team is in the divisional standings; review the current roster; skim all the player and team stats; and watch the latest video highlights.

Billie Jean King on playing tennis before Title IX

Before Title IX, tennis legend Billie Jean King not only had to deal with limited resources; she also had to deal with isolating experiences, like being excluded from team photos at Long Beach State and being told to "get lost" by male teammates. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Koji Kondo composed the game’s iconic soundtrack with a limited palette of sounds

The game’s soundtrack and effects were limited by the Nintendo Entertainment System’s 8-bit hardware, which had significantly fewer sounds than a typical synthesizer. That didn’t stop Kondo from writing some of the most recognizable video game music in history.

The College Football Playoff included four teams each year from its inception in 2014 to 2023

Replacing the BCS, the four-team College Football Playoff matched semifinal winners for the national title—delivering dramatic upsets, dynastic runs, and some of the sport’s most memorable games over its first decade.

Nitrogenous bases connect like puzzle pieces due to their shape

There are four bases—adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine—which keep the two strands of DNA connected via chemical bonds between them. Connections between thymine and adenine require two hydrogen bonds, while those between cytosine and guanine need three hydrogen bonds. These differences in bond number prevent non-complementary pairings.

Comparing military power: China and Taiwan

When it comes to power, China and Taiwan are predictably lopsided, though in some regards Taiwan may be able to hold its own. This site crunches the numbers for each country and compares them side by side. See what the totals are and what either side's military seems to be focused on.

Want to begin trading in cryptocurrency? Check out these exchanges

Explore the current cryptocurrency market. CoinMarketCap tracks 242 spot exchanges where various cryptocurrencies are traded. Newbie and experienced traders will find timely exchange ranks and scores charted according to traffic, liquidity, and trading volumes. CoinMarketCap promises legitimacy in all trading volumes reported.

Dispose of invading viruses while learning about the CRISPR immune system

In this free, easy-to-play game, defend the city of Bacterium by playing the role of Cris Perotein. As you play, you'll learn microbiology and the workings of the mechanisms that CRISPR uses to protect bacteria. (desktop recommended)

European powers carved up nearly all of Africa in just 4 decades

This video explains the "Scramble for Africa," when seven European nations seized over 90% of the continent between 1870 and 1910. Only Liberia and Ethiopia remained sovereign as imperial competition redrew Africa’s borders and reshaped its future.

See these 16 pieces of art evoking phobias of snakes, flying, spiders, and more. 

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

Play the role of a student in a game where you try to navigate college and remain debt-free, selecting different income levels, high school experience, race, ethnicity, and more.

Explore chaos in this simulation of two double pendulums, where small differences in the release angles produce wildly different outcomes.

The syncytiotrophoblast is the outer layer of the placenta and the largest human cell, spanning an area about twice that of a king-sized bedsheet.

According to the physics of black holes, our 4D reality may be a hologram—a projection of information coded on a 2D surface on the edge of the universe.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

Watch this video that uses Lego bricks to explain how venture capital works.

English mathematician Ada Lovelace wrote the first computer algorithm a century before computers existed and hypothesized that computing devices would one day be able to compose music—foreseeing the generative AI systems of today.

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is the largest ground war in Europe since World War II in terms of casualties, forces mobilized, and displacement of civilians.

A pickleball's loud 'pop' sound can reach 120 decibels, which is equivalent to a hammer hitting a nail

Before humans, the Soviet Union and the United States sent animals—including apes, dogs, and cats—to space during the Space Race.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

Electrical grids worldwide must double their power delivery capacity by 2050 to meet surging demand from AI and electric vehicles.

Brandi Chastain, the star of the 1999 US victory over China in the 1999 Women's World Cup, was a last-second choice to take the penalty kick that sealed the victory.

See a 3D reconstruction of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital that was home to an estimated population of 200,000 to 400,000.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

The Nasdaq's 'Magnificent 7' companies are responsible for roughly 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, while the remaining 93 companies account for the other 60%.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

The Great Salt Lake's distinct dual coloration results from high-salinity organisms that only live in the northern portion and produce a purple protein.