World Chess Day

The United Nations recognizes chess as a global game that promotes fairness, inclusion and mutual respect,
Unsplash/Jeshoots

Chess calms nerves, improves mental health amidst COVID crisis

20 July 2021
Health

Marking World Chess Day on Tuesday, the UN is celebrating the fact that while COVID-19 has forced most sports to scale down, this ancient game of intellect, not brute strength, has demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability throughout months of lockdown worldwide.

Teenage girls play chess at school in Sana'a, Yemen.
© UNICEF/Moohialdin Fuad

First-ever World Chess Day, helps calm nerves during COVID-19 pandemic

20 July 2020
Culture and Education

With the COVID-19 pandemic leading to a pause for most sport worldwide, the UN has been celebrating a highly-competitive game that you can play safely indoors or online – with the added bonus of helping reduce anxiety, and improving mental health: Monday marks the first ever World Chess Day.