“Gens Una Sumus” – What three Latin words under the chess sign taught me about the world

My earliest memory of chess is from when I was seven years old.When I entered the venue of my first international tournament, my hand tucked into my mother’s, I stopped under the emblem of FIDE, the International Federation Governing Chess. Three words, printed in a language I did not understand, caught my attention. We are one nationAs I stood there trying to make sense of them, my mother gently squeezed my hand and reminded me that my game was just beginning.Afterwards, I found her waiting in a quiet corner of the dining room and asked what the words meant. She searched her phone and told me they were in Latin, “We are one family.”Since then, I have seen these words at tournaments around the world.

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Most players walk under them unnoticed. I still do. They remind me that every time I enter a tournament hall, I enter a community bound by shared values.Years later I learned that this phrase predates modern chess by more than fifteen centuries. It comes from the Roman poet Claudian, whose words were later adopted by the chess world. Their meaning has evolved – from describing one people to reminding us that through chess we become one family.This may sound like an ambitious motto for sports. But after years of traveling to tournaments, I have come to believe that it reflects the reality of chess.Chess is one of the few sports where almost anyone can compete on equal terms. You don’t need expensive equipment or a special character. The board is the same in Reykjavík as it is in Chennai. Tournaments are held in grand hotels, school auditoriums and ballrooms, but the rules never change. Most open events are open to anyone.This means that a child who only learned the game a few years ago can be paired with someone who has spent decades playing. I experienced this when I was eight years old in a town nestled in the Austrian Alps. My opponent was in his fifties. Our game lasted more than five hours and stretched well past midnight. The organizers waited patiently for us to finish as neither of us was willing to give up the square or agree to a draw.Overall, age no longer mattered. Not reputation either. Only two players tried to solve the same position.Chess also brings people closer physically than most sports. We sit across the deck from each other for hours. We notice the slightest change in breathing, how long a hand hovers over a piece, the sudden silence after a mistake, or the quiet confidence that follows a good move.Then the game ends. We shake hands. We reset the pieces.And more often than not, we sit down again—this time next to each other rather than across from each other—to analyze what happened.“I should have paid here.”“No, I think the problem started earlier. Look at your knight.”Just a moment ago we were trying to outdo each other. Now we are trying to understand the game together.That always fascinated me.Wins and losses are very important while the clock is ticking. But once the clock stops, curiosity usually takes over. Opponents become collaborators. Together we look for that game-changing moment and help each other discover what we both missed.Maybe Gens Una Sumus has come to mean that to me.Chess does not erase differences. Tournament halls still contain rivalries, disappointments, ambitions, and sometimes genuine resentment. The world is far from perfect.But he repeatedly pits strangers against him and asks them to act with respect. The person sitting opposite cannot be reduced to a nationality, age, rating or stereotype for a few hours. Every move requires you to take them seriously.When I first saw these three Latin words at the age of seven, I knew nothing of their history. I didn’t know they traveled across centuries before finding a home in the chess world.All I knew was that they made me stop.Today, after years of sitting across the deck in front of people older and younger than me, from countries I’ve never visited and cultures I knew little about, I understand them differently.Each tournament starts with sixty-four fields.Many end with one more human connection.We are one nationWe are one family.(Aarav Dengla is the 83rd Grandmaster of India. He is an avid observer and student of world history in general and chess history in particular)