- The first game of online chess took place over telegraph lines in 1844.
- Telegraph equipment was simple but required constant monitoring for accuracy
- Grandmasters then used teletype and online platforms to play remotely
On November 26, 1844, two chess teams played against each other while separated by 60 kilometers, as the Washington Chess Club played a team in Baltimore using the newly constructed electric telegraph.
Three consulting members played on each side, transmitting the movements on the wire. Washington opened with a pawn in the center and Baltimore echoed.
This method allowed for a complete game without any team being physically present, marking what is considered the first online chess game.
Organize a telegraphed game
Alfred Vail and Henry Rogers developed a system for assigning numbers to each of the 64 squares, converting traditional descriptive notation into numerical codes.
Moves such as “pawn to the queen’s bishop’s four” became “11 to 27”, simplifying transmission through the telegraph.
The system meticulously recorded every play, including real-time corrections.
Although records of all games are incomplete, some sources report that 686 moves were transmitted without interruption.
Spectators occasionally observed the process and operators recorded the number of people present.
The telegraph itself was simple, consisting of a battery, a switch and a magnet.
Despite its apparent simplicity, signals weakened with distance, wires broke, and early equipment often failed. It was therefore necessary to ensure consistent monitoring of the line to ensure accurate reception.
The Baltimore-Washington telegraph ran along the railroad tracks, and overhead insulated copper wires replaced failed underground attempts.
Although Congress funded the initial line, daily practical use remained minimal and most activities consisted of demonstrations and curiosity-driven experiments.
Telegraph chess inspired similar experiments abroad, including matches between London and Gosport in 1845.
Later, American grandmaster Bobby Fischer transmitted the movements from New York to Havana in 1965 by teletype.
In a promotional game in 1999, Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov played an online game against “the world.”
Today, the Internet has taken telecom chess to fabulous new heights, with a single site, chess.com, hosting up to 20 million games per day, sometimes pushing server capacities.
Chess is particularly compatible with telecommunications because it can be transmitted as concise and precise information.
Why have technologists taken advantage of the opportunity to play chess using so many generations of telecommunications?
This is likely because chess is popular and inherently suitable for long-range play.
“There are similarities in thought processes [between] engineering design and the kind of puzzle solving that a game of chess involves,” says Kazdan of Case Western Reserve.
However, this connection can be one-sided. “A lot of engineers like chess. I’m not sure many chess players like engineering.”
Via AOL
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also.
