Earth vs Space chess: Match to be played today to mark 50th anniversary

Russia's Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin will be present at the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics, and the match will be streamed by the Russian chess federation

The third Earth vs Space chess match will be played on Tuesday, when Russia's Grandmaster Sergey Karakin from Earth takes on cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Wagner from International Space Station (ISS). The clash will also mark the 50th anniversary of the first Earth vs Space chess match.

 

How the match will be played

 

Karjakin will be at the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics, and the match will be streamed by the Russian chess federation. This time, the game will happen much faster. Karjakin will play Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner who are 400 km away on the ISS.

Watch: Earth vs Space chess match live here

 

When for the first time Earth vs Space chess match played

 

It was fifty year ago, in 1970, when the first Earth vs Space Chess match was played. Andrian Nikolayev and Vitaly Sevastyanov of Soyuz 9, represented Cosmonauts while ground based cosmonauts Viktor Gorbakto and Nikolai Kamanin appeared for Earth.

 

How the match was played

 

The first Earth vs Space chess match has lasted for six hours i.e. 4 orbits of Earth. The moves were sent via radio whenever the shuttle would pass above Moscow.

 

Second Earth vs Space chess match

 

The second chess was played in 2008-2009 and was organised by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) and US Chess Federation. Astronaut Greg Chamitoff conceded the match in December 16, 2009 and Earth emerged victorious.