This study explores the history of chess competition and rivalry between players of the United States and Soviet Union during the cold war era of 1945-1975. Building upon existing scholarship on the "cultural cold war", it assesses the cultural and political significance of chess to the two nations in this critical period of their relationship. Using a range of source material that includes original documents, contemporary media reports, photographs and memoirs, the study shows how chess competition in this period often subverted its traditional image of a quiet board game for two players. Considering the game within the contexts of cultural exchange and cultural diplomacy, the dissertation explores the changing contextual nature of the game, from an ostensible means of attempting to foster friendly international relations in the period after World War Two, to later apparent expressions of cold war rivalry. It shows how, due to wider geopolitical considerations and objectives, the game often became a politicized area of cold war contention.