Among these articles was a stipulation that when possible, “belligerents shall encourage intellectual diversions and sports organized by POWs.”
These included rules about camp conditions, the rights of prisoners, and medical treatment. In 1929, the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War established new regulations that aimed to ensure humane treatment of prisoners of war. Chess played just one role in the larger aid efforts undertaken by American citizens, who according to a 1946 report of the President’s War Relief Committee, would ultimately donate over $1 billion to war charities between 19. On View: JJanuary 17, 2016Ĭhess often played a part in philanthropic efforts that aimed to assist members of the military, whether in the United States, on the front, held in prisoner of war camps, or convalescing in hospitals.
Battle on the Board: Chess during World War II provides insight into how a game modeled upon battle can provide a sense of home and community as well as demonstrating the dramatic changes the war brought to the game. Though chess is often perceived as a game of war, it also serves as a means of passing long hours or as an aid in recuperation for members of the military.
