Most chess games played in 24 hours, world record set in Biel, Switzerland

Biel, Switzerland – A monumental success was achieved on International Chess Day, when over 350 chess events took place worldwide, both online and on the board, with an astonishing 7,284,970 participants, setting the record for the
Most chess games were played in 24 hours, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

“On International Chess Day, July 20, a monumental achievement was achieved when over 350 events took place worldwide, both online and at the board, setting the record for the most chess games played in 24 hours. While the original goal was to surpass one million games, the total number of games played was an astonishing 7,284,970,” said the
FIDE International Chess Federation says.

“A total of 109 chess federations participated and reported their results worldwide. The federations with the most games were Sri Lanka (9,848 games), India (9,397 games) and Kazakhstan (8,759 games). Sri Lanka and India also hosted the most registered tournaments for this competition with 78 games each, followed by China with 45.

“Of the more than seven million games played, 75,132 (just over 1%) were played at the board, with the rest played online on five platforms: Chess.com (including ChessKid), Lichess, FIDE Online Arena, SimpleChess, The Chess Alliance and Zhisai.”

“To validate the record, certain conditions had to be met: all games, whether online or offline, had to be played within 24 hours and registered as part of the FIDE 100 Guinness World Records attempt. Each player could participate in multiple games, but the minimum time control was set at 3 minutes plus 2 seconds, excluding bullet games. Chess.com, including its ChessKid platform, contributed the largest number of eligible games, over six million.

“This is a great achievement for FIDE and for chess, and I am very proud that we have achieved this on the day when we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of our great organization,” said FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. During a special six-hour live broadcast of the International Chess Day celebrations on FIDE’s YouTube channel, Dvorkovich described the events as a “celebration of the winning spirit for chess.”

“This is only the first century [of FIDE]. There are still many centuries ahead of us,” he added. “We are happy to share this moment with millions of people around the world, especially those who helped set the Guinness record. Many people will start playing chess from this day,” Dvorkovich concluded.

“The Guinness World Record attempt was a huge project that was prepared for several months. International arbiter Laurent Freyd, the main initiator and supervisor from FIDE, stressed the uniqueness of the event. Speaking at the 57th International Chess Festival in Biel, Switzerland, Freyd noted: “As an arbiter, you manage a few players at an event. Today it is about managing 350 arbiters who organize events around the world with many participating players!”

“This fantastic record is the result of enormous cooperation. We are grateful to all national federations, tournament organizers and chess enthusiasts involved,” said Andre Voegtlin, Chairman of the FIDE Social Commission.

“The six-hour FIDE YouTube broadcast featured prominent figures from the chess world and some of the current and former top grandmasters, including Vidit Gujrathi, Levon Aronian, Nigel Short, former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk and her husband Pavel Tregubov, former World Champion Vishy Anand and Emil Sutovsky.”

“By setting this record, FIDE has also created a new and promising challenge that will benefit the game: all future records will depend on playing more chess games, challenging chess enthusiasts of the future to achieve more and aim higher.

“The Guinness World Record attempt was a huge project that was prepared over several months. International arbiter Laurent Freyd, the main initiator and supervisor on the FIDE side, emphasized the uniqueness of the event.

“At the 57th International Chess Festival in Biel, Switzerland, Freyd remarked: “As an arbitrator, you supervise a few players in a tournament. Today, it is about supervising 350 arbitrators who are presiding over tournaments around the world with many participating players!”

“The highest number of chess games played in 24 hours is 7,284,970 and was achieved by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) on July 20, 2024 in Biel, Switzerland,” said the
Guinness World Records says.

“On ‘International Chess Day’ in Biel, Switzerland, which also marked the 100th anniversary of the International Chess Federation, a new Guinness World Record was set: ‘Most chess games within 24 hours’.”