Answers.Body: <p>As noted in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lingua_francas" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia list</a> of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingua_franca" rel="nofollow noreferrer">linguas franca</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lingua_francas#French" rel="nofollow noreferrer">French</a> was the international language of diplomacy for over 150 years. As a result, many international organizations, especially those based in, with roots in, or with significant membership in Europe, have used French for their name, official documents, etc. FIDE is one such organization, especially since it was founded during the time that French was the lingua franca.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2018-08-31T01:02:48.957Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-08-31T09:42:34.100Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2018-08-31T09:42:34.100Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: GreenMatt
Answers.Body: <p>FIDE was founded in Paris, France, on July 20, 1924. It should be the main reason for its name.</p>
  
  <p>You can read about its foundation and early years here:</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIDE#Foundation_and_early_years_(up_to_1939)" rel="noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIDE#Foundation_and_early_years_(up_to_1939)</a></p>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Daniel Alfredo Sottile
Answers.Body: <p>In the first half of the XXth century, French and English were the main international languages. </p>
  
  <p>During and immediately after the first congress in Paris, 1924, the French acronym for "Fédération Internationale des Echecs" was actually <strong>FIE</strong>, and it was referred in the English-speaking world as "International Chess Federation" or <strong>ICF</strong>. But already the following year, at the Congress in Zurich, French-speaking members (and possibly Italy) made a point that "fide" meant "trust" in Latin, thus the 'D' was added for the name to symbolize the confidence of its members in the institution, and <strong>FIDE</strong> became the official acronym in both languages (and worldwide).</p>
  
  <p>E.Winter's Chess Notes have a very interesting <a href="http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/fidehistory.html#Section_2:_Foundation_of_the_history" rel="noreferrer">article</a> about the birth of FIDE:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>‘FIDE was founded in 1924’ say the history books, yet, technically speaking, that could be disputed. Certainly the Fédération Internationale des Echecs was formed that year, but its Statutes systematically referred to it as ‘FIE’, and not ‘FIDE’:</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>But it doesn't give the reason of the later change:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>But later in the year, for reasons as yet unclarified, ‘FIDE’ became the official acronym. If ‘FIDE’ appeared in print in 1924, we have yet to find it.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>I remember reading that the Latin meaning was the motivation for switching to "FIDE" in some chess-history book in French, but I will have to dig further to source it properly.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-10-14T13:55:34.500Z
Answers.Text: What is the XXth century?
Answers.UserDisplayName: Marvin
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-10-15T05:54:59.680Z
Answers.Text: Would be the 20th century in the US.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Evargalo
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Answers.CreationDate: 2019-05-26T17:56:20.867Z
Answers.Text: You said at the Congress in Zurich that they made it FIDE because it means trust is Latin. But then you said it was unclarified the reason for the change. So was that really the reason it is that just your guess?
Answers.UserDisplayName: Marvin
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-05-26T18:49:43.007Z
Answers.Text: @Marvin I don't say that the reason is unclear, it is E. Winter who says so. I quoted him faithfully even if I had read the reason somewhere else (I am pretty sure it is in Europe Echecs or in Echecs & Mat, but a long time ago...)
Answers.UserDisplayName: Evargalo
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Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-08-31T12:06:58.877Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2018-08-31T12:06:58.877Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Evargalo
Body: <p>I noticed that FIDE stands for " Fédération Internationale des Échecs". Shouldn't it be in English as 'World Chess Federation'? I noticed, though unrelated, that it is the same for SI Units (System Internationale). Did it start in France? What is the history of the foundings of FIDE? </p>
  
  <p>I noticed that the headquarters is in Athens, Greece. Why? If the International Federation of Chess can't be in English, shouldn't it at least be in Greek? Where did France come in?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-08-30T18:33:41.783Z
Comments.Text: At one time French was the international language, now it is English.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Ywapom
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-08-31T00:28:42.293Z
Comments.Text: While the origins of chess are lost, it is generally thought that is started in India. Other alternatives I've seen are China and Persia. Never Greece.
Comments.UserDisplayName: GreenMatt
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-08-31T15:15:48.067Z
Comments.Text: While the purpose of comments is to improve questions (or answers), changing the actual question (e.g. changing "Ancient Greeks" to "persians or Indians or Chine (sic)" is frowned upon.
Comments.UserDisplayName: GreenMatt
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-01-16T21:47:38.090Z
Comments.Text: > although the earliest origins are uncertain. The earliest predecessor of the game probably originated in India, before the 6th century AD; a minority of historians believe the game originated in China. From India, the game spread to Persia. Wikipedia
Comments.UserDisplayName: Marvin
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-08-07T07:19:00.127Z
Comments.Text: Why English rather than Hungarian?
Comments.UserDisplayName: David
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-08-22T13:48:10.993Z
Comments.Text: @David English is the current international language
Comments.UserDisplayName: Marvin
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-08-22T14:44:53.527Z
Comments.Text: @Marvin A majority of chess players do NOT speak English
Comments.UserDisplayName: David
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-08-22T15:13:38.763Z
Comments.Text: @David My question was about the name of the organization
Comments.UserDisplayName: Marvin
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-08-22T15:17:16.463Z
Comments.Text: @Marvin Still, most chess players do NOT speak English. So why English rather than Hungarian? Hungary is cool, you know?
Comments.UserDisplayName: David
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-08-22T15:21:12.423Z
Comments.Text: @David Because English is a more common language than Hungarian, even if not all people speak English
Comments.UserDisplayName: Marvin
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-08-22T15:33:52.030Z
Comments.Text: But Sakk Világszövetség sounds so cool!
Comments.UserDisplayName: David
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-08-22T15:35:51.877Z
Comments.Text: Well yes...but so does Caidreachas taileasg na cruinne
Comments.UserDisplayName: Marvin
Tags: <history><fide>
Title: Why is the FIDE name in French?
ThreadText: # Why is the FIDE name in French?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2018-08-30)
  
  I noticed that FIDE stands for " Fédération Internationale des Échecs". Shouldn't it be in English as 'World Chess Federation'? I noticed, though unrelated, that it is the same for SI Units (System Internationale). Did it start in France? What is the history of the foundings of FIDE?
  
  I noticed that the headquarters is in Athens, Greece. Why? If the International Federation of Chess can't be in English, shouldn't it at least be in Greek? Where did France come in?
  
  **Tags:** history, fide
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: At one time French was the international language, now it is English.  
  > **username_2**: While the origins of chess are lost, it is generally thought that is started in India. Other alternatives I've seen are China and Persia. Never Greece.  
  > **username_2**: While the purpose of comments is to improve questions (or answers), changing the actual question (e.g. changing "Ancient Greeks" to "persians or Indians or Chine (sic)" is frowned upon.  
  > **username_0**: > although the earliest origins are uncertain. The earliest predecessor of the game probably originated in India, before the 6th century AD; a minority of historians believe the game originated in China. From India, the game spread to Persia. Wikipedia  
  > **username_3**: Why English rather than Hungarian?  
  > **username_0**: @username_3 English is the current international language  
  > **username_3**: @username_0 A majority of chess players do NOT speak English  
  > **username_0**: @username_3 My question was about the name of the organization  
  > **username_3**: @username_0 Still, most chess players do NOT speak English. So why English rather than Hungarian? Hungary is cool, you know?  
  > **username_0**: @username_3 Because English is a more common language than Hungarian, even if not all people speak English  
  > **username_3**: But Sakk Világszövetség sounds so cool!  
  > **username_0**: Well yes...but so does Caidreachas taileasg na cruinne  
  
  ---
  
  ## 3 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2018-08-31. Score: 13 | Accepted answer
  
  In the first half of the XXth century, French and English were the main international languages.
  
  During and immediately after the first congress in Paris, 1924, the French acronym for "Fédération Internationale des Echecs" was actually **FIE**, and it was referred in the English-speaking world as "International Chess Federation" or **ICF**. But already the following year, at the Congress in Zurich, French-speaking members (and possibly Italy) made a point that "fide" meant "trust" in Latin, thus the 'D' was added for the name to symbolize the confidence of its members in the institution, and **FIDE** became the official acronym in both languages (and worldwide).
  
  E.Winter's Chess Notes have a very interesting [article](http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/fidehistory.html#Section_2:_Foundation_of_the_history) about the birth of FIDE:
  
  > ‘FIDE was founded in 1924’ say the history books, yet, technically speaking, that could be disputed. Certainly the Fédération Internationale des Echecs was formed that year, but its Statutes systematically referred to it as ‘FIE’, and not ‘FIDE’:
  
  But it doesn't give the reason of the later change:
  
  > But later in the year, for reasons as yet unclarified, ‘FIDE’ became the official acronym. If ‘FIDE’ appeared in print in 1924, we have yet to find it.
  
  I remember reading that the Latin meaning was the motivation for switching to "FIDE" in some chess-history book in French, but I will have to dig further to source it properly.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: What is the XXth century?  
  > **username_5**: Would be the 20th century in the US.  
  > **username_0**: You said at the Congress in Zurich that they made it FIDE because it means trust is Latin. But then you said it was unclarified the reason for the change. So was that really the reason it is that just your guess?  
  > **username_5**: @username_0 I don't say that the reason is unclear, it is E. Winter who says so. I quoted him faithfully even if I had read the reason somewhere else (I am pretty sure it is in Europe Echecs or in Echecs & Mat, but a long time ago...)  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2018-08-31. Score: 7
  
  As noted in the [Wikipedia list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lingua_francas) of [linguas franca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingua_franca), [French](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lingua_francas#French) was the international language of diplomacy for over 150 years. As a result, many international organizations, especially those based in, with roots in, or with significant membership in Europe, have used French for their name, official documents, etc. FIDE is one such organization, especially since it was founded during the time that French was the lingua franca.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2018-08-30. Score: 5
  
  FIDE was founded in Paris, France, on July 20, 1924. It should be the main reason for its name.
  
  You can read about its foundation and early years here:
  
  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIDE#Foundation_and_early_years_(up_to_1939)>
  
  
  ---
  
  