Chess on Stamps
Chess on stamps often commemorate important events in chess history, honor famous chess players, or celebrate significant chess tournaments. Some countries with a rich chess tradition have issued numerous chess-themed stamps over the years.
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This website is inspired by my own collection of chess stamps. It particularly appears as a catalogue that sets out to illustrate and describe stamps and postmarks relating to any aspect of chess, as well to discribe the events giving cause for these items. The different chess stamps are classified by categories that correspond basically to First Day Covers, Souvenir Covers and Registered Covers, by years since the first postmark in 1923, by countries and by events that are grouped in Chess Olympiads, World Chess Championships, Famous International Chess Tournaments, Chess Candidates and Zonal Tournaments.
Chess Olympiad
World Championship
Candidates Tournament
For each one of the chess stamp covers I have elaborated detailed files that show their description and variations. In the blog you can find articles that tell the historical context of each of the stamps or postmarks.
The Chess on Stamps History
I will try to be brief in this chess stamps and postmarks history. I will focus on the historical episodes that I consider most relevant to not extend too much.
It all starts on May 11, 1923 in Borstendorf when a local German industry decides to advertise its business with a first specific postmark: “Papier factories, Draught and Chessboards Industries, Toy Pianos”.
The first International Chess Tournament to be announced through a postmark was held in Kecskemét, Hungary in 1927 and was won by the future world chess champion Alexander Alekhine.
The 6th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE took place between August 16 and August 31, 1935, in Warsaw, Poland. To commemorate this important event and also the 12th FIDE Congress was used a special chess postmark. This was the first special olympiad postmark.
The first postage stamp with a chess topic was issued in Bulgaria in 1947. It was a stamp showing a knight with the vertical inscription ‘Balkan Games 1947’ and the horizontal inscription ‘Republic of Bulgaria’ to commemorate the 1947 Balkan Games, held in Sofia, Bulgaria on November 2-5, 1947.
On November 20, 1948 in the Hague (Netherlands) and Moscow (USSR), three chess stamps were issued to commemorate the World Chess Championship match-tournament that brought together the five strongest chess players of the time: Mijaíl Botvínnik, Vassily Smyslov, Paul Keres, Samuel Reshevsky y Max Euwe. These three stamps was the 1st World Chess Championship Stamps.
Another three chess stamps were issued in Budapest, Hungary to celebrate the first Candidates Tournament on April 9, 1950. These was the first Candidates Tournament Chess stamps.
The first Chess Olympiad commemorated by a special edition of stamps held in Dubrovnik (Yugoslavia) on August 20, 1950. There are 5 chess stamps whose FDC you can see above on the left of this page.
On November 1, 1951 seven stamps were issued in Cuba as part of the 30th anniversary of Jose Capablanca winning the world chess championship from Emanuel Lasker in 1921. This was the 1st stamps showing a portrait of a chess player.
I finish precisely with a quote from this Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927.
Finally I take the opportunity to apologize in advance for my way of expressing myself in English, as you will notice it is not my native language. I will try it to do my best. Welcome to Chess on Stamps.