Chess games are closely followed throughout the world by enthusiasts in the field from both professional and amateur backgrounds. The game of chess has historically acted in the capacity of a meeting place for different cultures and countries, in part because it carries great prestige and respect as a form of competition and because it is felt to display a high degree of intelligence and cunning on the part of the person who can master it. Because of the high value placed on achievements in displayed skill in playing chess, incidents of contentious dispute as well as periods of amicable relations have occurred as a result of contests which are disagreed about in their outcomes by the participants and various onlookers and interested individuals. In order to provide some measure for addressing the issues that may result from disagreements over chess games, federations have been formed which provide a organizational framework for putting together broadly based chess competitions and for defining all of the rules and questions that come out of the process of playing chess. These organizations can provide the players involved in any given game of chess a common ground of understanding and agreement on the basic rules for playing chess and thus avoid the potential disputes that could arise between various cultures or regions that have formed independent approaches to chess. They also give players who have progressed to a competitive level of expertise and skill in how they play chess games an organizational format for addressing concerns that arise in the course of playing with another person, such as accusations made by either party that some method of cheating was involved in the game.