Chess in Europe

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The exact location, time and method of the entry of chess, or rather its immediate precursor Shatranj, into
western Europe is unknown, however linguistic evidence suggest that it was almost certainly transmitted via
the Arab world.

Philological evidence points to an earlier date than archeological and literary evidence currently suggests,
indicating that the game entered Europe perhaps as early as 800 AD.

In the beginning chess was only played by peers at the court. The only exception is Strbeck, known as the
"chess village",[1] where chess became popular among the farmers in the early 11th century already.

Chess in Britain
England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Jersey and Guernsey all have separate national chess federations, and send
their own teams to international chess competitions. The English Chess Federation, which in 2005 replaced the
long established British Chess Federation, is responsible for the organisation of chess in England, and also
organises the annual British Chess Championship on behalf of all the UK federations. Tournament organisers
and chess clubs send game results and appropriate fees to the ECF which then compiles ratings that measure
the playing strength of active players.

The basis of English (ECF) ratings broadly speaking is that the difference in ratings is half the difference in
percentage scores. That is, if player A beats player B in a match 8 to 2 (60% difference), you would expect his
grade to be about 30 points higher. Grades are calculated by averaging out points gained or lost against
opponents whose grades are known already. There are two sets of grades, one for rapidplay games (30 minutes
each per game), the other for standard games (two minutes or more average per move).

In addition to games within the club, there are leagues in which clubs compete with each other and these games
will also be graded. Aside from the many local leagues, the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) is effectively a
prestigious tournament run on a league format, to which many of the British and world's elite players are
attracted.

The most famous tournament held in Britain is probably the Hastings International Chess Congress, which runs
from late December to early January.

Tournaments usually pay prizes both for the first three or four places and for people who get the most points
within a particular range of grades, but the vast majority of players who enter them play for recreation.

See also
Chess in early literature
Lewis Chessmen

References
1. "The Little Chess Village, Part I" (https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-little-chess-village).
Chess.com. Retrieved 2016-07-16.

H. J. R. Murray, A History of Chess, (Oxford University Press)

Helena M. Gamer, The Earliest Evidence of Chess in Western Literature: The Einsiedeln Verses,
Speculum, Vol. 29, No. 4. (October 1954), pp. 734750.
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This page was last edited on 17 July 2016, at 05:38.

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