There are many times in the history of chess when it is considered that it is going to end as we know it and that a change is necessary. Since the end of the 19th century, the rules have remained stable, the only thing that has changed is the pace of play.
Are we now facing a radical change? Some time ago, Kramnik was saying that this sport was better without castling (an initiative in which, by the way, Ourense was a pioneer city many years ago). There is even a tournament in Dortmund with this modality. In my opinion, this discipline is going to be maintained as we know it.
The change that is proposed now was already proposed by Fischer many years ago. The idea is to avoid the initial position to prevent the players from knowing the first moves of the game. Nowadays, when I go to play a game, I know my systems well and it is normal for me to know the first 15-20 moves by heart. But this doesn’t just happen to me. Amateurs are also capable of memorizing them just like me.
Thanks to this, chess is becoming democratized. It’s getting harder and harder to win a game. 10 years ago, when I faced an amateur, I was almost sure that I would beat him and that I would beat him quickly. Now, I need to prepare several hours to get around their known opening systems because, if I don’t, my opponent will probably make 15-20 moves without thinking, making my victory more complicated, or even impossible.
Chess is an incredibly difficult game. Learning to move the pieces and have some ease can take a few hours. However, this is only the beginning. Once you know the movements, you need to know certain basic strategies. I think, at best, a systematic instruction of 4-8 hours would be enough to master them. However, it is still difficult to play it, because there are millions of patterns.
But there is one good thing: openings give us control. Thanks to knowing the first plays, we enter familiar territory that allows us to understand a little better where the shots are going. In this way, getting into and understanding the sport is a little easier.
If chess 960 becomes the future, we will lose many fans. This game model is very difficult even for grandmasters. An amateur, when playing this modality, does not understand very well what is happening (neither do I) and feels very uncomfortable. The friction may be too great and may cause you to lose interest in chess. I consider that chess 960 is intended more for the elite and for the personal enjoyment of a few. For these players it is a gift: they don’t have to prepare all morning, they just have to play a few games in the afternoon and get paid well when they finish.
Iván Salgado is Galician, International Grand Master and directs the CHESS EXCELSIOR academy
Filed in: Chess Ourense city
2024-03-11 04:00:00
#Chess #future #dont
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