NASA shared on their u/NASA account that, while the World Chess Championship match was taking place last month, /u/warrenhoburg (Warren Hoburg) and his Crew-6 colleagues were playing a chess match of their own, as they were facing the flight directors in NASA’s Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center.
Each team made about one to two moves a day, as their hectic schedules allowed, sharing updates via space-to-ground communications. Despite starting with the black pieces, the ISS crew emerged victorious, checkmating Mission Control with a cross-board queen move.
Crew-6 members (left to right): Frank Rubio, Woody Hoburg, Sultan Alneyadi and Steve Bowen | Photo: NASA / Woody Hoburg
Their first game wrapped up on Sunday, April 16 — and the second game is already underway! Keep an eye on the ISS blog for more scientific updates from the orbiting laboratory.
If you are wondering how the pieces are moved in space, he mentions flight controllers helping them to move the pieces at Johnson Space Center.
Mission Control Center making White’s moves at Johnson Space Center | Photo: NASA
Woody Hoburg with the first moves on the board (1.e3 e5) | Photo: NASA / Woody Hoburg
For the past few weeks we’ve been playing chess, ISS vs Mission Control. We each make about one move per day, and flight controllers help us with physically moving our pieces on the board at @NASA_Johnson. We are very much amateur chess players, but we were nevertheless… pic.twitter.com/ZPl7N2lxAv
— Woody Hoburg (@Astro_Woody) May 1, 2023
