With the first registers of 'chaturanga' that would give birth to modern chess dating back to the 6th century, the sport has truly endured the test of time and acquired many passionate players - The rules are simple to learn, but the mathematics behind the 64 squares makes the strategic planning of each move a bit more complicated.

The game pieces are the king, queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns or 16 pieces overall and in black or white - White always goes first - A player wins the game if he or she is able to put the other player's king in 'checkmate', which means that he or she has no legal moves left, or when there is a voluntary resignation of the other player, but the game can also end in a draw where there is no apparent winner.

In Rio, chess can be practiced in the many stone chess tables scattered through the city's plazas and parks, or in a more organized fashion in clubs and associations that offer classes, organize championships and friendly matches.