Chess is a board game that can be enjoyed regardless of age, gender, or language differences as long as you know the rules.
Playing a game of chess on your own is already a fascinating experience, but by paying attention to various chess-related news and learning about its history, you can delve deeper into the world of chess.
Why not take this opportunity to explore the world of chess and discover its allure from a different perspective apart from playing matches?
"Can computers beat the world chess champion?"
This was an incredibly intriguing topic in the 1900s, and engineers worked on various innovations to develop powerful chess computers.
After a long and challenging endeavor, a computer defeated the world chess champion in 1996. The computer, Deep Blue, developed by IBM, achieved a historic victory by winning one out of six games against the legendary chess player, Mr. Garry Kasparov, who was the youngest world champion at that time and held the title for the next 15 years."
The following year, Deep Blue once again surpassed Mr. Kasparov, solidifying the notion in the public's mind that computers had surpassed the human realm of chess.
While it is now widely accepted that computers effortlessly dominate even complex games like shogi and Go, which are considered to have a higher number of possible game positions than chess, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Mr. Kasparov vs. Deep Blue match in chess made a significant contribution to the rapid development of artificial intelligence that followed.
However, on the other hand, the ease with which we can now obtain results comparable to computations that were once performed on supercomputers using smartphones has created a temptation to exploit this technology for illicit purposes.
In 2019, during the Strasbourg Open, an incident occurred where Mr. Igor Rausis had his Grandmaster title revoked for using a smartphone secretly during a game.
This can be seen as a tragic incident that would not have occurred in an era where "computers do not surpass human top players." It serves as a lesson that along with technological advancements, the growth of individuals handling them is also necessary.
Of course, even though computers have surpassed human skills, it doesn't mean that the competitive activities conducted by humans become meaningless.
Mr. Kasparov devised a style called "Advanced Chess" where humans and computers collaborate and play the game together.
This can be seen as an attempt to transition from an era of computer versus human competition to an era of coexistence, symbolizing a new era aimed at embracing both.
Furthermore, with the use of apps, it has become easy to play against people from around the world, and recently, "automated chess boards" have also been developed, where the pieces move automatically.
There is a great charm in being able to enjoy a game where the actual pieces on the board move according to the moves of a distant opponent, rather than on a game screen adorned with various effects and sound effects.
It can be considered a return to the origins through technological innovation.
In the future, the world of chess may continue to unfold and deepen its allure through the advancement of computers.
An automaton refers to a mechanical doll capable of playing chess as a human opponent.
The word "automaton" originates from the Greek word "Automatos."
The most famous historical automaton is "The Turk," which existed in the 18th century. It amazed people of that time by being able to think and physically move chess pieces, and it even defeated notable figures like Napoleon Bonaparte and Benjamin Franklin. "The Turk" garnered significant attention and captivated audiences worldwide.
However, it was later revealed that the automaton was hollow inside and operated by a hidden person concealed within.
As time has passed, technology has advanced, and AI capable of defeating humans has emerged. It has become a reality to have robots that move chess pieces according to the computer's thinking.
There was an incident in 2022 at a tournament held in Moscow, where a robot playing against a 7-year-old boy accidentally grabbed his finger and caused it to fracture.
The incident where the highly advanced automaton, capable of fully playing chess, unintentionally harmed a person and caused injury by not being able to respond appropriately to unforeseen circumstances outside of the game, highlights the emergence of new risks that come with technological advancements.
In recent years, artificial intelligence has made rapid advancements, bringing about achievements that were once unimaginable.
Automatons have also ceased to be an unknown super technology. From now on, it is important not only to dream of technological advancements but also to carefully consider the risks involved and address issues of safety and ethics. This is crucial in creating a future where humans and machines can coexist with peace of mind.
Sports, including chess, are activities that people from all over the world can enjoy equally, transcending racial and religious barriers, under the same set of rules.
The Olympic Charter also states that political, religious, and racial propaganda is not permitted.
However, it is concerning that even in modern times, the pure enjoyment of chess is often hindered by religious issues.
An emblematic issue is the requirement for female chess players to wear a hijab when participating in tournaments in Iran.
The hijab is a scarf used by Muslim women to cover their heads for religious reasons.
It is reported that in Iran, participants in international tournaments held within the country are required to wear hijab, and if they do not comply, they may be denied participation or top players may choose to withdraw from the world tournaments.
It could be argued that if the requirement pertains to the uniformity of the national team's attire, it might be permissible to enforce religious dress. However, applying purely religious rules to athletes from other countries has been criticized as a form of religious coercion and raises concerns about the position of hosting international tournaments.
In 2016, CNN reported that a prominent Islamic jurist in Saudi Arabia expressed the view that "chess is prohibited in Islam."
However, in 2017, Saudi Arabia hosted a world chess championship, indicating that there might not be a unified and authoritative interpretation strictly prohibiting chess. Nevertheless, it is unfortunate that deeply rooted religious issues within a country can hinder the ability to enjoy chess without concerns.
In Saudi Arabia, it is mandatory for women to wear a traditional attire called "abaya" when going out. However, during the 2017 world championship, there were relaxed dress regulations for participants, and in recent years, there have been movements to ease the dress code. Some senior religious figures have expressed the view that there is no need to enforce the wearing of abayas for women, indicating a willingness to relax the dress code.
On the other hand, during the 2017 World Championship, political issues arose where Israeli players were denied visas and were unable to participate in the tournament.
It is true that religious and national conflicts are not easily resolved, but it is our hope that we can create a world where everyone can enjoy chess without being burdened by such issues and where everyone can participate equally and peacefully.
Chess has a long history, and its current rules are universally recognized. It is because of these standardized rules that we are able to organize tournaments to compete based on skill. This allows people from all walks of life to engage in chess, pursue their passion, and enjoy the game with a sense of security.
However, chess originated from the game of Chaturanga and evolved primarily in Europe to become the established form we know today. Similarly, Shogi, which is believed to have originated from Chaturanga in Japan, has developed its own distinct set of rules, piece movements, and board size, which differ significantly from chess.
There are many attempts to explore a wide range of games using the fundamental elements of chess, even though the current form of chess is considered a historical culmination. One such attempt is variant chess, which aims to create games with diverse variations using those basic elements.
Variant Chess, also known as Fairy Chess, refers to a form of chess where certain rules, pieces, or the board itself are modified.
Among the various types of Variant Chess, the simplest one is Shuffle Chess.
In Shuffle Chess, the pieces on a specific rank, where the King is positioned, are randomly shuffled. The Bishops are placed on squares of different colors, but Castling is not allowed.
In Fischer Random Chess (also known as Chess960), which was devised by Mr. Bobby Fischer, it is said that Castling can be performed by always placing the King between the two Rooks. However, since the King and Rooks can sometimes be adjacent to each other, the Castling in Fischer Random Chess differs slightly from the regular Castling in traditional chess.
Despite being a variant, Fischer Random Chess, also known as Chess960, has its own World Championships and enjoys enduring popularity.
While I believe that there are people who feel resistance to changing the rules of traditional games, it is said that Habu Yoshiharu, a great figure in the world of shogi, responded to the question of what would happen if shogi were completely solved by computers by saying, "At that time, we can just make a slight rule change, like allowing the keima to move sideways."
In shogi, the "keima" is a piece that can only move forward and is different from the knight in chess, which has more freedom of movement.
The words of someone who has reached the pinnacle of their field, realizing that the immutability of game rules is not an absolute value, carry significant weight.
Furthermore, on the homepage of this website, you can play not only regular chess but also shuffle chess. I encourage you to give it a try and enjoy a different sensation from your usual chess experience.
The easiest way to enjoy chess against a human opponent is through online play, but there is a different kind of enjoyment in playing a game face-to-face across a physical chessboard compared to playing on a screen.
If you have friends nearby with whom you can play chess, that would be great. However, it can be quite challenging to find chess companions if you're looking for new ones.
Board game cafes are places where you can enjoy various board games while in a café or restaurant setting. Some board game cafes provide chess sets, allowing you to play against friends or other visitors. You can also have a game with the café staff or other board game enthusiasts who are present.