The number of possible unique chess games is much greater than the number of electrons in the universe. The number of electrons is estimated to be about 10^79, while the number of unique chess games is 10^120.
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Chess Tournaments
Our annual chess tournaments are a great way to learn the game and meet amazing people who share a passion for Chess.
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Upcoming Events
Check out the chess-related events happening in Medicine Hat and around the province, and get into the game!
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We Love Chess!
Welcome to the Medicine Hat Chess Club
A friendly chess club for both adult and junion players.
Like a sport, chess teaches sportsmanship, determination, resourcefulness and stamina. Like art, it teaches creativity, vision and depth of thought. It holds valuable lessons for life: how to develop a plan and carry it out, how to continue in the face of adversity and pull victory from defeat, and how not to count your chickens (or checkmates) before they hatch.
Medicine Hat Chess Club is a club where chess players of all ages + abilities can come to play competitive and non-competitive chess. Help for a beginner is available. Our aim is to promote chess as an enjoyable pastime in Medicine Hat and surrounding communities.
The Junior Chess Club is a club where junior chess players of all abilities can come to play competitive and non-competitive chess. Help for beginners is available. Our aim is to promote chess as an enjoyable and educational aide for school age children ("juniors") in Medicine Hat and surrounding communities.
Guiness Record Holders
The World's Largest...
Did you know
We have the world's largest chess set?
The Medicine Hat Chess Set is the current Guiness World Record Holder for having the world's largest chess set.
What's the Big Deal!?
Some chess facts you may not know...!
The longest chess game theoretically possible is 5,949 moves.
The longest time for a Castling move to take place was the match game between Bobotsor vs. Irkov in 1966: 46. 0-0.
As late as 1561, Castling was two moves. You had to play R-KB1 on one move and K-KN1 on the next move.
The word “Checkmate” in Chess comes from the Persian phrase “Shah Mat,” which means “the King is dead.”
The Police raided a Chess Tournament in Cleveland in 1973, arrested the Tournament director and confiscated the Chess sets on charges of allowing gambling (cash prizes to winners) and possession of gambling devices (the Chess sets).
The number of possibilities of a Knight’s tour is over 122 million.
The longest official chess game lasted 269 moves (I. Nikolic – Arsovic, Belgrade 1989) and ended in a draw.
From the starting position, there are eight different ways to Mate in two moves and 355 different ways to Mate in three moves.
The "new" Pawn move, advancing two squares on its first move instead of one, was first introduced in Spain in 1280.
In 1985, the Soviet player Garry Kasparov became the youngest World Chess Champion ever at the age of 22 years and 210 days.
The Guiness World Record for the "Largest Chess Set" was set by the Medicine Hat Chess Club on the 27th of May, 2009. The record stands to this day.
The first mechanical Chess Clock was invented by Thomas Wilson in 1883. Prior to that, Sandglasses were used. Sandglasses were first used in London in 1862. The present day push-button Clock was first perfected by Veenhoff in 1900.
The most commonly held belief is that chess originated in India, where it was called Chaturanga, which appears to have been invented in the 6th century AD. Although this is commonly believed, it is thought that Persians created a more modern version of the game after the Indians.
Contact the Medicine Hat Chess Club
Please contact us if you have questions. Someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
Wednesdays 7-10pm
From September to June(403) 526-5484
We provide a fun environment for adults and youth to learn and engage in friendly competition.