13 votes

The end of the draw offer in chess?

7 comments

  1. nacho
    Link
    This was a fascinating time capsule on an issue that's just as relevant today as it was 22 years ago. Thank you so much for sharing! I don't know how draws in chess should be handled, but I think...

    This was a fascinating time capsule on an issue that's just as relevant today as it was 22 years ago.

    Thank you so much for sharing!

    I don't know how draws in chess should be handled, but I think (if possible) this is sometimes even more problematic today. There are way too few games where the casual viewer gets to even see an endgame played out, where that's such an important part of actually playing chess at lower levels.

    10 votes
  2. [6]
    TonesTones
    Link
    With the three-move repitition rule, I imagine chess player would find a way to draw any game they wanted to. Furthermore, sandbagging is a way bigger problem in chess than other competitive games...

    With the three-move repitition rule, I imagine chess player would find a way to draw any game they wanted to. Furthermore, sandbagging is a way bigger problem in chess than other competitive games both because of norms and because players can prepare for future games with time saved at a tournament.

    In my anecdotal experience watching tournaments, early draws are much rarer in rapid and blitz tournaments, since (a) there’s less incentive to save time by drawing (20 minutes vs 3-6 hours in a classical game) and (b) you know the other player is more likely to make a mistake even in a fairly simple position.

    Personally, I think the future of competitive chess for entertainment is in rapid-time Fischer random chess. There’s less room for preparation and more room for creativity and mistakes. That format is certainly what I will be watching.

    6 votes
    1. [5]
      BashCrandiboot
      Link Parent
      Hadn't heard of random chess until now. I imagine getting both your bishops on the same color is not ideal, or is that not as much of a disadvantage as it sounds?

      Hadn't heard of random chess until now. I imagine getting both your bishops on the same color is not ideal, or is that not as much of a disadvantage as it sounds?

      3 votes
      1. [2]
        kari
        Link Parent
        There still has to be bishops on each color and the right to castle on either side, which leaves 960 unique starting positions (and is why it’s also called chess960).

        There still has to be bishops on each color and the right to castle on either side, which leaves 960 unique starting positions (and is why it’s also called chess960).

        9 votes
      2. [2]
        lou
        Link Parent
        It is random but both sides get the same. So the weirdness is the same for both. It was called freestyle chess at a recent event, but it can also be called chess960.

        It is random but both sides get the same. So the weirdness is the same for both.

        It was called freestyle chess at a recent event, but it can also be called chess960.

        6 votes