Ready for a chess challenge that will really rook your world? This 75-question quiz will test your brain, put your knowledge in check, and leave no pawn unturned. It’s not just black and white – there are countless shades of grey in this game of kings and queens. So, prepare to say “checkmate” to any ignorance about the noble game of chess. Let’s jump into it, just like a knight taking an unexpected turn!
1. Who is considered the greatest chess player of all time?
2. In what year was the first recorded chess game?
3. What is the name of the AI that defeated Garry Kasparov in 1997?
4. How many squares are there on a chessboard?
5. What’s the name of the maneuver to checkmate the opponent’s king in two moves?
6. How many pieces does each player start with in a game of chess?
7. Who was the first woman to win a game against a reigning world chess champion?
8. What’s the name of the most expensive chess set ever made?
9. In what country was chess invented?
10. Who was the youngest person ever to achieve the rank of grandmaster?
11. What’s the name for the strategy in chess where a player sacrifices material with the aim of achieving a resulting advantageous position?
12. Who was the first Asian world chess champion?
13. What’s the name of the longest possible chess game in terms of moves?
14. What is the highest number of queens that can be on the board at one time?
15. How many possible first moves are there in a game of chess?
16. What is the name of the first book about chess?
17. Which country has the most chess grandmasters?
18. What is the shortest number of moves required to achieve checkmate in a chess game?
19. Who is the highest-rated female chess player of all time?
20. Which piece was added last to the modern game of chess?
21. Which chess player has won the most world championship matches?
22. What is the name of the position in which a player cannot make a legal move while their king is not in check?
23. Which grandmaster is known for playing blindfold chess?
24. What is the name for a situation in which any move a player makes will worsen their position?
25. What is the maximum number of knights a player can have on the board in a game of chess?
26. Which chess piece is depicted in the logo of the World Chess Federation (FIDE)?
27. What’s the term for moving the king two squares towards a rook on its initial square and then placing the rook on the square the king skipped over?
28. What is the world record for the largest number of simultaneous chess games played by a single person?
29. Who is the current world chess champion as of 2023?
30. Which famous American rapper is known for his love of chess and has even incorporated it into his music videos?
31. How many pawn rows are there on a chess board at the start of the game?
32. Which chess piece can only move diagonally?
33. Who wrote the famous chess manual “My System”?
34. What is the term for a draw achieved by a repetition of moves?
35. What is the name of the special move where a pawn captures an opponent’s pawn that has just moved two squares forward from its starting position by taking it as if it had only moved one square forward?
36. What is the average number of possible moves per position in chess?
37. Who was the first American-born World Chess Champion?
38. What is the initial arrangement of the chessboard called?
39. What is the world record for the longest game of chess ever played?
40. What’s the name for the style of chess where players only have a set amount of time to make all of their moves?
41. Who was the first official World Chess Champion?
42. What is the special name for the endgame scenario of King and Rook versus King?
43. What chess piece has the lowest point value?
44. How many different opening moves does the queen have at the start of a game?
45. How many rooks does each player start with in a game of chess?
46. What is the name of the strategy that involves attacking the f7 or f2 squares as they are only protected by the king?
47. What’s the term for a move that simultaneously attacks two pieces?
48. What is the title awarded to a chess player by FIDE for lifetime achievement?
49. Who was the first World Chess Champion to win the title without losing a single game in the match?
50. Which country hosted the first official World Chess Championship?
51. What is the first move of the Scandinavian Defense?
52. What is the standard time control for classical chess games in most tournaments?
53. What chess piece can jump over other pieces?
54. How many positions are there for the eight queens puzzle on an 8×8 chessboard?
55. What is the chess move 1.e4 known as?
56. What’s the term for a series of moves that forces an advantageous end?
57. What famous inventor and engineer had a love for chess and was rumored to have developed an automated chess-playing machine?
58. What piece does a pawn typically promote to in chess?
59. Who was the first Chinese player to win the World Chess Championship?
60. Which country popularized the modern rules of chess in the 15th century?
61. What is the record for the most moves made in a tournament chess game?
62. Which world champion was known for his exceptional endgame skill?
63. Which famous novelist incorporated a critical chess game into the plot of their novel “Through the Looking-Glass”?
64. What is the original Persian name for chess?
65. How many ranks are there on a chessboard?
66. What opening results after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5?
67. Which chess player holds the record for the longest undefeated streak in classical chess?
68. What is the record for the largest number of players in a single chess tournament?
69. What’s the term for a square that a player can neither occupy with a safe piece nor defend with a pawn?
70. How many dark squares are there on a chessboard?
71. Which chess piece is sometimes called a “castle”?
72. How many possible moves are there after two plies in chess?
73. What is the term for the outcome of a chess game in which neither player wins?
74. What is the term for deliberately playing a losing move?
75. What famous late rock musician was a known chess enthusiast and often played on tour?
Thanks for playing along! You’ve now crossed the board of our 75-question chess trivia challenge Whether you’re a grandmaster of knowledge or still learning how to castle, we hope you had fun. Don’t forget to check(mate) out our other Trivia Bliss quizzes for more fun challenges and learning opportunities, including a quiz all about crossword puzzles. Keep your brain’s pawns moving and your knights jumping with Trivia Bliss!
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