The game of chess as it exists today emerged in southern Europe toward the end of the fifteenth century. Some of the old Shatranj rules were modified, and new rules were added.

Rule Changes

Toward the end of the fifteenth century, modern chess became more strategic and comprehensive—when pawn promotion upon reaching the eighth and last rank and castling, in which a player could more quickly defend his or her king, was added. The implementation of the “en passant” (in passing) rule permitted pawns to move two squares forward on the first move.

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, chess took another huge leap. As the game increased in popularity, chess started to become more refined and more strategic and was modified to reflect that refinement. The purpose was to increase the complexity of the game and also to create a greater opportunity for maneuverability for opponents to explore a wider range of strategic options.

The most notable changes turned the fers (counselor), a weak piece in Shatranj, into the queen, which became the most powerful piece. Also, the alfil, which moved in two-square steps, was changed to the bishop and enabled to move in a more far-ranging manner.

This “new” game gained popularity all over Europe and by the sixteenth century the best players were recording their games and theories in widely circulated books of chess instruction and notation.

Leading Players

In the eighteenth century, François André Danican Philidor, a Frenchman, was the leading player of his time. In 1749 he published L'analyse du jeu des Échecs, or “Analysis of the Game of Chess,” which was one of the most influential theoretical works of its time. Philidor was the first to analyze many of the main strategic elements of chess and to recognize the importance of proper pawn play.

French players continued their dominance of the game long into the nineteenth century. In 1834, Louis Charles de la Bourdonnais played a series of six matches in London against the then-best English player, Alexander McDonnell. Bourdonnais soundly defeated McDonnell—he won forty-five games and lost thirty-two with thirteen draws by all accounts. The games played in these matches were published and analyzed worldwide.

In 1843, English player Howard Staunton decisively defeated the leading French player, Pierre Charles de Saint-Amant. This victory placed Staunton as the nineteenth century's foremost chess player with a score of eleven wins, six losses, and four draws. Staunton also wrote several theoretical works on chess and commissioned the design for chess pieces. Though there are many variations on chess piece design, the Staunton chess pieces are today's standard and are widely used by beginners and experienced players alike. The pieces are known as Staunton Chessmen. Staunton also organized the first international chess tournament, held in London in 1851. German player Adolf Anderssen won the tournament.

The Fédération Internationale des Échecs

As global presence of chess increased, it became evident that an international chess organization was needed. The Fédération Internationale des Échecs, or FIDE (pronounced FEE-day), was established and since 1924 has been a force for unification and world standards. FIDE maintains a numerical rating system for master players, awards titles, organizes the world championships, and runs a chess Olympiad every other year that brings together teams from dozens of countries.

The first international chess tournament was the London Tourney of 1851, won by Adolf Anderssen of Germany. Anderssen then became known unofficially as the world's best chess player even though he did not receive an award or title. International tournaments caught on, and they have been mushrooming ever since. Today there is some international tournament—sometimes more than one—taking place every day of the year.