The earliest known chess column appeared in the Lancet in 1823, but due to lack of popularity disappeared after less than a year. Lancet may refer to: A lancet is a medical instrument, similar to a scalpel but with a double-edged blade. ...

The first column to establish itself was that of George Walker in Bells Life in 1834 which survived until 1873. From February 15, 1845 onwards it faced competition from Howard Staunton's column in the Illustrated London News, a column which outsurvived Walker's, but only by 5 years. During this time a chess column also appeared in the Pictorial Times lasting from February 1845 to June 1848. Howard Staunton Howard Staunton (April 1810 - June 22, 1874) was an English chess master and unofficial World Chess Champion. ... The Illustrated London News was a magazine founded by Herbert Ingram and his friend Mark Lemon, the editor of Punch magazine. ...

In 1882 Henry Bird in his Chess History and Reminiscences estimated that there were 150 chess columns. Less than thirty years later in 1913 Harold Murray in his History of Chess estimated there existed at least 1,000 chess columns worldwide. Henry Edward Bird (1830 – 1908) was an English chess player. ... Harold James Ruthven Murray (June 24, 1868 - May 16, 1955) born in Peckham Rye, London, son of James Murray (editor of the Oxford English Dictionary), the eldest of eleven children, was most prominent as a chess historian. ... For other meanings, see Chess (disambiguation). ...

Arguably the most popular chess column currently is Raymond Keene's, published every day without fail in The Times and Sunday Times. Ex-world championship finalist Nigel Short also wrote until recently each Sunday for the Daily Telegraph (recently taken over by the daily chess columnist, Malcolm Pein), but it is only really these two newspapers which keep a strong chess tradition going in Britain. (The Times, significantly, sponsored the aforementioned world championship match in 1993 between Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short). Raymond Dennis Keene (born 29 January 1948) is an influential figure in the chess world off the board, bringing many notable chess events to London. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under its current name since 1788. ... The Sunday Times is the name of several Sunday newspapers. ... Nigel Short (born June 1, 1965 in Leigh, Lancashire) is widely regarded as the greatest British chess player of the 20th century. ... This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under its current name since 1788. ... Garry Kasparov Garry Kimovich Kasparov (IPA: ; Russian: Га́рри Ки́мович Каспа́ров) (born April 13, 1963) is a chess grandmaster and former World Chess Champion. ... Nigel Short (born June 1, 1965 in Leigh, Lancashire) is widely regarded as the greatest British chess player of the 20th century. ...