6th century: Origins of chess in India as chaturanga, a game of strategy with pieces representing the four divisions of an Indian army.
9th century: Chess spreads to the Islamic world, where it is further developed and refined.
11th century: Chess is introduced to Europe through Islamic Spain.
15th century: The modern rules of chess are established in Europe.
1851: The first international chess tournament is held in London.
1886: Wilhelm Steinitz becomes the first official World Chess Champion, ushering in the era of modern competitive chess.
1924: The first Chess Olympiad, a biennial team competition, is held in Paris.
1948: FIDE, the international governing body for chess, holds the first Candidates Tournament to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship.
1972: Bobby Fischer of the United States defeats Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union to become the first American World Chess Champion and spark a surge in chess popularity in the United States.
1997: Deep Blue, a computer designed by IBM, defeats reigning World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov in a highly-publicized match, signaling the increasing role of computers in competitive chess.
2013: Magnus Carlsen of Norway becomes the World Chess Champion at the age of 22, the second-youngest player ever to do so.
2021: The 2021 FIDE World Cup is won by Jan-Krzysztof Duda of Poland, earning him a spot in the Candidates Tournament to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship.