Record-Breaking Chess
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
Howdy! It’s the Chess Friends!
This week in Seattle felt like world record-breaking heat! Only it wasn’t that bad, compared to the official world record for the highest recorded temperature on Earth of 56.7°C (134°F), measured in July 1913 in Death Valley, California, USA. After the heat, lightning followed, which, technically, produces the hottest temperatures on Earth. According to Guinness World Records, when lightning strikes, the air around it briefly reaches temperature of 30,000°C (54,032°F)—hotter than the Sun!
For this blog, we decided to go through the Guinness World Records to find the most fascinating chess records officially documented! Prepare to be amazed!
First, let’s hear from The Man Benji who will share how the idea of cataloging world records actually came about, and some cool records, chess and not!
The Man Benji
The origin story
Hi Friends! It’s The Man Benji!
We’ve all heard of the Guinness World Records book, many have flipped through its yearly editions, some may have even dreamed about getting their names into one of those, but not many know exactly why it is called Guinness, and how this whole record-keeping business came into existence. I didn’t, but learned it recently so I could share with you!
The genius idea to start tracking achievements and validate various records originated in Ireland in the early 1950s. One day, the managing director of Guinness Brewery (a place where they make beer—don’t ask me why I know that), Sir Hugh Beaver went hunting with his friends. He failed to shoot a bird (thankfully), and then had an argument about what the fastest game bird in Europe was. Was it a golden plover?
Sir Hugh Beaver was the type of guy who had to find out! After spending some time in the library, he realized how hard it was to quickly locate a reliable source with an answer. That’s when Sir Beaver decided: if no book with records of the fastest-the strongest-the tallest existed, he should make one! What a great idea! Not just that, he would make this book available for free and distribute it throughout pubs in Ireland and England, to promote his beer, and to help settle arguments that often come up when too much beer is consumed (don’t ask me why I know that!).
To start his project, Sir Beaver hired two fact-checkers: twins Norris and Ross McWhirter, who compiled the first edition, published in August of 1955. They even found the answer to the fastest game bird question! (It wasn’t the golden plover; it was the red-breasted merganser—one argument settled!)
But the book quickly became so much more than a mere free pub book! It became so sought-after, they made it available for purchase, and soon, the book smashed into the bestsellers list! The brothers then traveled all around the world to find and verify records, and their work, and the book, became an international sensation, translated into many languages!
Today, the book not only updates the records of the fastest-the strongest-the tallest each year, it also invites the readers to make and break records of their own. You are limited only by your imaginations! Heaviest train pulled with a beard? There is a record for that! Most spoons balanced on a face? There is a record for that! The longest plank? That’s impressive: over 9.5 hours, and there is a record for that!
Our own Washington state got into the record book multiple times. Check this one, for example: During the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Festival in Walla Walla, Washington in 2010, a man set the record “The fastest time to peel 50 pounds of onions!” How awesomely random is that!
Now, let’s get to chess records already! Our beloved game is featured in the Guinness World Record a lot! I’m going to highlight records that were set by the legends.
The record for the Oldest World Champion is held by Wilhelm Steinitz, who also happens to be the first World Chess Champion! He was 58 years and 10 days when he lost his title to Emanuel Lasker in 1894.
Emanuel Lasker is in the Guinness World Record himself, holding the record for the longest time as undisputed World Champion, with a total of 26 years and 337 days from 1894 to 1921!
Our next record is fewest chess games lost as a World Champion, set by Jose Raul Capablanca. He was unbeaten from 1916 to1924, with a total of 63 games!
The first female Grandmaster was Nona Gaprindashvili, who achieved the title in October 1978, at the 23rd Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was the Women's World Champion for 16 years before that.
The longest duration at female world #1 was Judit Polgar, from 1989 to 2015. Talk about domination!
What is great about the Guinness World Records is that you can quickly find the first or the best stats, and they are updated yearly.
Another great thing about it, is that you don’t even have to know how to play chess to get a chess-related record in the book! For example, there is a record for “The fastest time to arrange a chess set with the mouth”! Can you beat 1 min 37.25 sec?
Now, turning it over to the Myth Sarang, who will talk about more spicy chess records!
The Myth Sarang
No puns, just straight facts
Hey Friends! It’s The Myth Sarang!
Chess has produced some of the most impressive Guinness World Records, from the largest boards and pieces to marathon games that test human focus and endurance. Let’s start off with a big one, no pun intended:
Largest Chess Piece: certified by Guinness World Records on April 6, 2018, achieved by World Chess Museum Inc.
The world’s largest chess piece is a king, made from African mahogany, standing at a whopping 20 ft (6.09 m for most of our international viewers) tall and weighting almost 11,000 pounds (5000 kg). It is around 53 times larger than a regulation king! You can see the giant king outside the World Chess Hall of Fame, in St. Louis, Missouri, across the street from the world-famous St. Louis Chess Club, known for being home to world-class tournaments like the Sinquefield Cup, Cairns Cup, and the U.S. Championship.
Largest Chess Set: certified by Guinness World Records on May 27, 2009, achieved by William Taylor from the Medicine Hat Chess Club
The world’s largest chess set (board) is 19 ft 4 in x 19 ft 4 in (5.89 m x 5.89 m) The king is 3 ft 9 in tall (1.18 m) and 37.4 cm (0.37 m) wide at its base. This record was set by the Medicine Hat Chess Club (Canada) and currently stands in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.
Largest Chess Lesson: certified by Guinness World Records on September 20, 2018
The world’s largest chess lesson (not online) took place in Muttenz, Switzerland, organized by two Muttenz chess clubs and two Muttenz schools. Exactly 1,459 participants took part in this huge event, mostly local school children and teachers, who gathered at a park. This record beat the old record of 1,009 participants in one lesson in Turkey.
Largest Collection of Chess Sets: certified by Guinness World Records on April 26, 2019, achieved by Tumen-Ulzii Zandraa
The world’s largest chess set collection includes 438 items, achieved by Tumen-Ulzii Zandraa, a chess enthusiast from Mongolia. Not only does Tumen-Ulzii collect chess sets, he also makes them himself using many materials like birch, stone, and more!
Longest Chess Marathon: certified by Guinness World Records on April 20, 2025, achieved by Tunde Onakoya and Shawn Martinez
Just for reference, a chess marathon is when you continuously play chess games against someone else without stopping. The longest chess marathon lasted 64 hours (almost 3 full days), achieved in Times Square in New York City by Tunde Onakoya from Nigeria and Shawn Martinez from the USA. They played 473 games straight! That’s a lot of dedication right there.
Most Moves in a Chess Game: certified by Guinness World Records on February 17, 1989, achieved by Goran Arsovic and Ivan Nikolic
The most moves in a Master chess game that’s on record is 269 achieved by Yugoslavian masters Goran and Ivan! This was before the 50-move rule, so this record will likely stand for a while.
Longest Running Chess-Boxing Championship, certified by Guinness World Records on November 14, 2023, achieved by the World Chess Boxing Organization
The World Chessboxing Organization, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, has been hosting global events since 2003. The championship has been going on for 20 years! If you want to learn more about chess boxing, check out this previous blog: Boxing, Diving, and Tennis… Chess!!!
Largest Networked Chess Computer, certified by Guinness World Records on January 30, 2004, achieved by ChessBrain, founded by Carlos Justiniano (US) and Colin Frayn (UK)
On January 30th, 2004, Grandmaster Peter Nielsen from Denmark played chess against ChessBrain, the world’s largest networked chess computer. It included 2,070 computers across 56 countries. The match took place in Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, and ended in a draw after 34 moves.
Smallest Chess Computer Program, certified by Guinness World Records on September 23, 2022, achieved by Alejandro Garcia
The smallest chess computer program includes 354 bytes (not even half of one kilobyte), achieved by Alejandro Garcia from Spain. He decided to try this record for personal achievement.
Turning it over to my brother Vivaan now for more awesome World Records!
The Legend Vivaan
So many games!
Howdy! It’s The Legend Vivaan! Here are a few records that blow my mind.
Most Simultaneous Games
On February 8-9, 2011, Iranian Grandmaster Ehsan Ghaem Maghami did something unbelievable. He played 604 opponents OTB in a single simultaneous chess exhibition at the Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran. During this time, just moving between boards, he walked approximately 34 miles! His opponents ranged from 5 to 85, and he won 580 games, drew 16 and lost 8, an over 97% win rate (note draws count as a half point)!
Most Rated Games
On July 20, 2024, an event we participated in, FIDE broke the record for most rated chess games in a span of 24 hours. Can you guess the number? HIGHER! I don’t even know what you guessed but I’m sure the answer is higher! You ready? It’s 7,284,970 rated chess games! That’s over 7 million! Note July 20 is International Chess Day and July 20, 2024 marked the 100th anniversary or Centenary of the founding of FIDE in 1924.
Youngest Records
Chinese GM Hou Yifan is the youngest female world champion ever, earning the title at the age of 16 years and 300 days! Indian GM Gukesh Dommaraju is the youngest male world champion ever, earning the title at the age of 18 years and 197 days! The youngest player ever to receive the GM title is Indian American Abhimanyu Mishra, doing it at 12 years and 145 days. He was also the youngest Master, earning that distinction at a little over 9. One more fun one is Indian Singaporean Ashwath Kaushik is the youngest to defeat a GM in a tournament, doing so at 8 years and 195 days besting GM Jacek Stopa in Switzerland at the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open.
That’s all for now, friends! All the chess records we’ve mentioned here are very impressive, but remember, many people have earned Guinness World Record certificates not because they are prodigies, or super smart, or super strong, but because they are creative, and being creative is a super power!
Stay cool, be creative, and play chess!
If you want to check out more awesome world records, go to www.guinnessworldrecords.com or get the book:
Also, don’t forget to check out Sarang’s brand new website at prodigystrats.com!
Three Cheers, Fellow Future Master Chess Friends!
The Man Benji, The Myth Sarang, The Legend Vivaan
Comments