International Chess Day marks International Chess Federation's 1924 birthday

July 20 (UPI) -- International Chess Day, celebrated annually on July 20, was started by UNESCO to mark the anniversary of the day the International Chess Federation was founded in 1924.

The holiday was first proposed in 1966 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to celebrate the game of chess on the anniversary of the founding of the International Chess Federation, commonly known by its French acronym FIDE, in Paris in 1924.

FIDE, now based in Lausanne, currently has affiliate National Chess Federations in 199 countries. The organization was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a Global Sporting Organization in 1999.

The group called on chess aficionados to take advantage of International Chess Day 2022 by teaching others to play the game.

Other holidays and observances for July 20, 2022, include Fortune Cookie Day, International Cake Day, Moon Day, Nap Day, National Hot Dog Day, National Ice Cream Soda Day, National Lollipop Day, National Ugly Truck Contest Day, Space Exploration Day, Take Your Poet to Work Day and World Jump Day.