The International Chess Museum
Unique in France, the International Chess Museum was created in 1990 and established at the same time at the Château de Clairvaux, a listed National Heritage Monument since 1929. The four rooms of the Tower and the Guard Room are dedicated to the permanent exhibition of games.
It houses a variety of games, including classic games, humorous games, and unusual games, from Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The game of chess
The origins of chess are ancient and controversial. Figures playing on a board with pieces and dice, a simplified game probably similar to our current game of checkers, have been found on the tomb of Queen Nefertari (1250 BC) and on the amphora of Exekias (500 BC). Some historians even attribute the invention of the game during the siege of Troy (1200 BC) to Palamedes , Agamemnon's companion.
The Chinese also claim to have invented it in the 2nd century . However, it is more likely that the game of chess, with its differentiated pieces, originated in India in the 6th century , was then transformed in Persia , and finally remodeled and adopted by Islam .
Imported into Europe during the Arab invasions , it was finally adopted in its current rules by Western culture, particularly in its symbolic and aesthetic dimensions.
" Chess is not really a game for playing. It's a game for dreaming. Dreaming about the order of the world and the destiny of mankind ."
-Michel Pastoureau-
Our permanent collection brings together more than 120 exceptional chess sets from various cultures and eras.
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Whatever the era, each piece tells a story : whether it's an 18th-century Chinese ivory chessboard, a Russian wooden game representing matryoshkas, or contemporary creations inspired by iconic film sagas.
A world tour in 64 squares : discover games from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, each reflecting the values, aesthetics, and symbols of its origins. Here, the chessboard becomes a mirror of civilizations.
Between art, strategy and heritage, the collection highlights the cultural richness of the game of chess, and underlines the diversity and beauty of this ancient game which has continued to reinvent itself in ever more varied aspects.
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Napoleon, chess player
Napoleon played chess on field boards between battles as with the one he gave to Marshal Berthuer which is presented in the Museum. One day, he flew into a violent rage when he was beaten by an automaton designed by the Austrian Baron Van Kempelen. It was actually a box with a false bottom, containing a hidden genius dwarf who, through a drawer system, had a view of the game and could move the pieces as needed.
He was a good day, nothing more. Sometimes, when he lost, he would declare the game " stupid ," and sometimes break a few pieces.
Napoleon I's campaign game that belonged to Marshal Berthier, Prince of Wagram, Chief of Staff and Minister of War, Leather and ivory tray from Dieppe