HOME | DD

Description
International Chess: the ultimate game of strategy, the biggest pastime for millions across the system, and the friendliest international rivalry.

While the game had been around in one form or another since the medieval era particularly among nobles, kings, and intellectuals, chess became a phenomenon during the 20th century after being embraced by the Soviet Union. Their leaders would use it both as tool to develop the citizenry's capacity for intellect and strategy, as well as a symbol of a communist tradition which was once exclusive to the elites but now available to the masses.

As the sport became more common, and the Soviets took one win after the other in international games, the world turned their eyes upon chess as one of the many battlegrounds of the Cold War. As the number of Russian grandmasters grew, so did the number from America, India, Japan, and the rest of the world to match. Strategies would change, victories would be taken on all sides, and the game would eventually evolve to support more complex play. The rivalry persisted to the days of the megastates and to the colonization of the Solar System. Eventually, millions across Earth, Venus, Mars, and the other worlds would tune in to watch iconic matches, cheering on the geniuses of their nation as they battled in wit.

By the early 21st century, chess began to play heavily into cybernetics, a science which became huge with the invention of neuromorphic circuits and the robots that housed them. Not long after an advanced machine beat the world's leading grandmaster, common household robots and simple computers easily dominated chess matches. Some raised concerns about the incredible capacity of cybernetic intelligence, although this worry died away very quickly.

The Union used this to their advantage. Instead of attempting to preserve human sanctity, they would instead shift gears into the human capacity to create those cybernetic systems which could dominate chess. On top of being a popular sport and pastime, the game became the entryway to Union science and engineering. Building and programming chess robots became a common high school project. Spectacular inter-school contests centered around robot battles, as machines battled using wits and fine motor skills before destroying each other in outright physical combat.

It is difficult to overstate just how important chess was. In a world on the cyclical brink of mutual annihilation, chess provided a safe and mutually beneficial arena for international competition, and a harmless outlet for feelings of patriotism.

Oh, and there were some games of Checkers and Go.

Long after the Month of Madness, Union robots continue the tradition of playing chess. Pictured above: a common trainer bot attached to a table sets up a game of International Chess, as a modified industrial bot observes.

Description
International Chess: the ultimate game of strategy, the biggest pastime for millions across the system, and the friendliest international rivalry.

While the game had been around in one form or another since the medieval era particularly among nobles, kings, and intellectuals, chess became a phenomenon during the 20th century after being embraced by the Soviet Union. Their leaders would use it both as tool to develop the citizenry's capacity for intellect and strategy, as well as a symbol of a communist tradition which was once exclusive to the elites but now available to the masses.

As the sport became more common, and the Soviets took one win after the other in international games, the world turned their eyes upon chess as one of the many battlegrounds of the Cold War. As the number of Russian grandmasters grew, so did the number from America, India, Japan, and the rest of the world to match. Strategies would change, victories would be taken on all sides, and the game would eventually evolve to support more complex play. The rivalry persisted to the days of the megastates and to the colonization of the Solar System. Eventually, millions across Earth, Venus, Mars, and the other worlds would tune in to watch iconic matches, cheering on the geniuses of their nation as they battled in wit.

By the early 21st century, chess began to play heavily into cybernetics, a science which became huge with the invention of neuromorphic circuits and the robots that housed them. Not long after an advanced machine beat the world's leading grandmaster, common household robots and simple computers easily dominated chess matches. Some raised concerns about the incredible capacity of cybernetic intelligence, although this worry died away very quickly.

The Union used this to their advantage. Instead of attempting to preserve human sanctity, they would instead shift gears into the human capacity to create those cybernetic systems which could dominate chess. On top of being a popular sport and pastime, the game became the entryway to Union science and engineering. Building and programming chess robots became a common high school project. Spectacular inter-school contests centered around robot battles, as machines battled using wits and fine motor skills before destroying each other in outright physical combat.

It is difficult to overstate just how important chess was. In a world on the cyclical brink of mutual annihilation, chess provided a safe and mutually beneficial arena for international competition, and a harmless outlet for feelings of patriotism.

Oh, and there were some games of Checkers and Go.

Long after the Month of Madness, Union robots continue the tradition of playing chess. Pictured above: a common trainer bot attached to a table sets up a game of International Chess, as a modified industrial bot observes.