The first newspaper chess column appeared in the Liverpool Mercury in 1813.

George Koltanowski played 56 consecutive games blindfolded in 1960. He won 50 and drew the other 6.

The first chess game played by telephone was played by two gentlemen in Derbyshire, in 1878. 

In 1974, Stockholm hosted the first world computer chess championship. It was  won by the Soviet program, Kaissa.  

The first pocket chess set was created by the author of ROGET'S THESAURUS, Peter Mark Roget in 1845.

  The first computer program to play proper chess was written at MIT by Alex Bernstein in 1958-59.

Dr. Emanuel Lasker of Germany held the world chess championship longer than anyone else - 26 years and 337 days.

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