Romp With Rook - Little Known Chess Facts

• The longest chess game theoretically possible is 5,949 moves.
• The record number of moves without the capture of a piece is 100.
• The longest recorded time for a chess player to make a move is 2 hours and 20 minutes.
• The word "checkmate" comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat," which means "the King is dead."
• Rookies are named after the rook in chess. Rooks generally are the last pieces to move into actions, and the same goes for rookies.
• Iran is the only country in the world that bans chess. Ayatollah Khomeini said the game "hurts memory and may cause brain damage."
• The most popular PBS television show aired was the 1972 Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky chess match.

Source: Daytona Beach News Journal