Iceland

Tracing its origins to the Viking settlements in the early Middle Ages, Iceland's pastimes included traditional methods of proving prowess or skill in battle such as wrestling, archery, and walking along oars on the outside of boats. Building models and dioramas connected with Iceland's Viking heritage is popular with many people, as are Wargames. Reading remains popular—Iceland has more bookstores per capita than any other country in the world.

Hiking and camping remain popular among both Icelanders and tourists to the country, and many ride Icelandic horses. Because of the climate, many children are involved in snowboarding and tobogganing. Skiing down slopes can be challenging, and more people are involved in cross-country skiing. Because of some fast-flowing rivers, kayaking and Whitewater rafting have attracted many tourists. The intense wind makes ballooning dangerous, as it is easy to be carried out to sea. As there is little flat land in the country, there are not many golf courses.

The Arctic Open held each year takes advantage of the summer sun, and play starts at midnight. Recreational badminton, fishing, hunting, and ping pong have their adherents, and Icelandic wrestling first started as a regular competition in 1907. Unlike the United States, where most students take part in school-based recreational sports, in Iceland, local voluntary amateur sporting clubs are the focus for most adolescents.

Many children learn how to play Chess at school, and the Skaksamband Islands did much to promote the game. In the 19th century, Daniel Willard Fiske (1831–1904), a U.S. book collector and scholar of old Iceland who lived in Florence, Italy, from 1881, donated 11 marble Chess sets to the people on the island of Grimsey, located within the Arctic Circle. Fiske Day is commemorated each year on November 11. His donation resulted in many people on the island developing Chess skills and the building of outdoor Chess sets, and has also led to many tournaments in Iceland. The country has produced six grandmasters.

In 1972 the world championship match between Bobby Fischer of the United States and Boris Spassky from Russia was held at Reykjavik, resulting in victory for Fischer and much publicity for Iceland. Fischer later moved to Iceland after being critical of the U.S. bombing of Belgrade in 1999. In the bitter winter, indoor games have flourished. Card games are popular amusements, with the Icelandic team winning the World Bridge Championship in Japan in 1991. Fiske's history of Chess and other “table games” included details of some of the more popular ones in Iceland, many similar to those played in other countries in the world. An Icelandic version of the board game Monopoly is called Matador, using important streets in Reykjavik.