By now you would have seen the great orange wrist bands that all Chesslife Academy students receive when they sign up for our programs. This unique gift is a token of our dedication to your chess learning when you sign up for the Chesslife Academy.

The wristband makes you part of a community that has seen 100% of students reap rewards from the benefits that come from learning chess!

The wristband makes you part of a community that includes all current South Australian State Champions!

The wristband makes you part of a community that has seen thousands of students learn chess in Adelaide and across Australia!

So why an orange wristband you may ask? Good question! We felt it was the perfect colour for the Chesslife Academy considering its strong association to the King of Orange, our Dutch heritage and the majestic royal game of chess.

The color orange refers to the family name of the Dutch Royal Family, the House of Orange-Nassau. Their ancestor, William of Orange, is the founding father of the Netherlands. Orange symbolizes national unity, and the Dutch signify national pride by wearing orange.

On royal birthdays, the Dutch tricolor is flown with an orange pennant above it. Each year on April 27, Amsterdam — and indeed the entire county — turns orange. Why is the Dutch flag not orange? The flag was actually originally orange, white and blue, designed by William of Orange himself. The first theory is that the dye used to stain the flags orange was prone to changing to a red colour over time, and so to avoid confusion the flag was officially changed to red.

The Netherlands also has a very strong chess history, which includes a world champion! Machgielis “Max” Euwe was a Dutch chess player, mathematician, author, and chess administrator. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion, a title he held from 1935 until 1937. Euwe served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.

Currently the Netherlands has the following titled chess titles registered with FIDE;  39 Grandmasters, 4 Women Grandmasters, 98 International Masters, 14 Women International Masters, 185 FIDE Masters and 11 Women FIDE Masters.

So taking that all into consideration, we think Orange is the perfect colour for the Chesslife Academy wristband!