Flashback: Do you know what's radio chess?

SS Campania: Players on board the ship played a match

with players on board the SS Philadelphia via radio in 1902.

Hello Everybody,

This one's for all those times before telephone chess, online messengers, text-messaging and chess websites!

Radio chess is in which the moves of the game are transmitted by radio. All early games were played at sea in circumstances that suited the primitive equipment then available.

In June, 1902, games were played between SS Campania and SS Philadelphia (earlier known as USS Yale and SS City of Paris) over distances up to 160 miles in the Atlantic Ocean - the first of many such encounters.

The first radio match of any consequence was played in March 1941 between clubs in Moscow and Leningrad.

In September, 1945, the USSR defeated the USA (15.5-4.5), in the first important sporting event following the World War II and one that marked the beginning of Soviet chess supremacy.

In 1946, the USSR beat England (18-6), Australia beat France (5.5-4.5) and Spain beat Argentina (8-7) in radio chess matches.

Other forms of radio chess include matches between a master in the studio and listeners and games between teams of masters in the studio, each team's consultations broadcast to listeners but kept secret from other team.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal blog at

www.chessqueen.com