How Has Chess Changed Over The Years
Chess has a long and storied history. The game has changed quite a chip from its earliest forms in India. The modern iteration we enjoy today wasn't known until the 16th century. In that location were no clocks, and the pieces were not standardized until the 19th century.
The official world title title came into existence by the late 19th century, shortly after the get-go big tournaments were held and multiple styles of play had begun to fully develop. Although the get-go book on openings was published every bit early on as 1843, theory as we know it didn't truly evolve until the early/mid 20th century. Computer engines and databases didn't come up into play until the very late 20th century.
Accept a wait at a cursory history of chess!
Hither is a summary:
- Chess Origins
- Chess Theory and Development Through the 19th century
- The Commencement World Champions and the Advent of Positional Chess
- Soviet Say-so in the 20th Century
- Karpov, Kasparov, Computers, and Carlsen
Chess Origins
Chess, as we know it today, was built-in out of the Indian game chaturanga before the 600s AD. The game spread throughout Asia and Europe over the coming centuries, and eventually evolved into what we know as chess around the 16th century. One of the first masters of the game was a Spanish priest named Ruy Lopez. Although he didn't invent the opening named after him, he analyzed it in a volume he published in 1561. Chess theory was so primitive dorsum then that Lopez advocated the strategy of playing with the dominicus in your opponent's eyes!
Chess Theory and Development Through the 19th century
Chess theory moved at a snail'due south stride until the mid 18th century. In 1749, the French Master Francois-Andre Philidor stepped onto the scene with his book titledAnalyse du jeu des Échecs.This volume covered some new opening ideas (including the defense force which however bears his name), and too contained Philidor's famous defense in rook and pawn endgames - an endgame technique that is still used today. Philidor's famous statement that "The pawns are the soul of chess" was kickoff introduced to the world in this book.
Chess continued to gain popularity throughout the world, and in the mid 19th century the standardization of chess sets occurred. Earlier the 1850s, chess sets weren't uniform at all. In 1849, Jaques of London (a manufacturer of games and toys) introduced a new mode of pieces created past Nathaniel Cooke. These same pieces were endorsed by Howard Staunton, the strongest player of his time. This new mode of pieces, known every bit the Staunton design, became instantly popular and were used in tournaments and clubs all over the world. The Staunton pieces, and minor variations of it, are still considered to be the standard for tournament chess sets.
The 19th century besides marked the introduction of chess clocks to competitive play. Before chess clocks became the norm, a single game could last up to 14 hours! With the standardization of chess sets and introduction of chess clocks, the equipment needed for modern matches and tournaments were set in place.
Chess, itself, was developing greatly during the 1800s. The about famous games of this time period were swashbuckling attacking games - strong defensive ideas hadn't been learned nonetheless. If a player wasn't sacrificing their pieces correct and left trying to checkmate their opponent in a tearing manner, then it wasn't a fun game! It was during this attacking era in chess that the American player Paul Morphy entered the scene.
Morphy was the embodiment of all of these romantic and aggressive attacking ideas. During his tour of Europe, Morphy soundly trounced every major player in the world except Howard Staunton (who was past his prime and didn't take Morphy'due south claiming). Morphy steamrolled Adolf Anderssen, Louis Paulsen, Daniel Harrwitz, and a host of other masters. In 1858, the famous "Opera Firm" game was played past Morphy vs the allies (the Knuckles of Brunswick and a French Count), and is considered i of the best games of all time. Morphy throws everything, including the proverbial kitchen sink, at his opponents. A cute game for the ages!
The First World Champions and the Advent of Positional Chess
Wilhelm Steinitz never played Morphy, who had retired from the game by the time Steinitz rose to prominence. Steinitz'due south theories about the game are even so widely felt today, specially his disdain for overly-aggressive play. He preferred to accept the popularly offered gambit pawn, and then closed the position down in order to grind out a win. Steinitz initially had no equal in this kind of positional play, and used it to become the first official world champion in 1886.
Steinitz held the title of world champion until 1894, when Emanuel Lasker soundly defeated him (x-v). Their rematch, three years subsequently, was even more than lopsided: Lasker won 10-ii. Lasker would hold the championship for 27 years, past far the longest reign of any chess world champion.
Positional chess, as Steinitz and Lasker displayed, now became more and more pop. The prevailing theory until about the 1920s was to occupy the middle of the board during the opening, usually with pawns. The most common openings were the Ruy Lopez, the Giuoco Piano, the Queen's Gambit, the French Defense, and the Iv Knights' Game. These are relatively quiet openings from which both sides slowly try to accumulate pocket-size advantages in space, key squares, diagonals, and files.
Jose Raul Capablanca defeated Lasker in 1921 to become the third world champion. Capablanca's style is all the same considered the epitome of simple, clear-cut positional mastery. He tended to avoid complex tactical situations, and instead would seize a seemingly small advantage that he would convert in the endgame. His endgame skill was considered the greatest the earth had ever seen. Fifty-fifty today, the best chess engines detect very few errors in Capablanca's endgame technique. Although he only held the title of world champion for half dozen years, Capablanca is nonetheless considered to be one of the greatest players of all time.
In the 1920s, a new school of thought entered tiptop level chess - hypermodernism. The main idea is to control the center with minor pieces instead of simply occupying it with pawns. These new ideas were highlighted in the games and theories of a new generation of height talent: Aron Nimzovich, Efim Bogolyubov, Richard Reti, and Ernst Grunfeld. In this menstruum, new openings and development schemes were formed in many popular openings, like the Indian Defenses, the Grunfeld, and the Benoni.
Possibly the most hypermodern of all openings is Alekhine's Defense (named afterward the fourth world champion, Alexander Alekhine). The bespeak of this defense force is to invite white to advance his central pawns, and subsequently attack the overextended heart. Today Alekhine is remembered non so much every bit a hypermodern histrion, but every bit the the commencement dynamic mode player - he could play extremely tactically and aggressively, or quietly and positionally. He held the title of world champion from 1927 until 1935, when he lost the title to Max Euwe. Alekhine won the return lucifer in 1937 and held the championship until his death in 1946. He is the only chess globe champion to pass abroad while holding the championship.
Soviet Authorization in the 20th Century
From 1927-2006, players from the Soviet Union and Russia held the world championship championship (with only ii exceptions). Alekhine, Mikhail Botvinnik, Vassily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian, Boris Spassky, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, and Vladimir Kramnik were the earth champions and chess giants that proved the domination of the title in the 20th century and early 21st century. The styles of the above-mentioned chess legends couldn't be more than different. From the positional champions (Karpov, Petrosian, Smyslov, Kramnik), to the extremely ferocious attacking style of Tal, to the dynamic abilities of Alekhine, Botvinnik, and Kasparov - in that location is something for anybody!
After Alekhine, Mikhail Botvinnik became the next world champion by winning the 1948 world championship. This result was notable every bit it marked the first time that FIDE would oversee the world championship consequence (something they notwithstanding practise today), but likewise because it was the get-go time that the world title wasn't decided by a single match (a quintuple match organization was used in the absence of a reigning world champion). Botvinnik would concord the title of earth champion from 1948 until 1963 (with 2 exceptions, each lasting ane year).
Botvinnik was known for his iron logic and dynamic abilities, being able to change styles almost like a chameleon depending on who his opponent was. Botvinnik lost the title to Vassily Smyslov in 1957, merely according to the rules at the fourth dimension Botvinnik was able to become a rematch in the post-obit year. In the 1958 rematch, Botvinnik defeated Smyslov and regained the title. In 1960, Botvinnik lost the championship to Mikhail Tal. However, in 1961 Botvinnik won the rematch vs Tal. It wasn't until 1963 (when Botvinnik lost a match to Tigran Petrosian) that he could no longer need a rematch the next year, every bit FIDE had changed the rules.
After his long reign as earth champion, Botvinnik was peradventure the nigh decorated chess trainer of all time. He trained 3 hereafter earth champions (Karpov, Kasparov, and Kramnik), a feat nobody else tin claim. He was too a computer scientist, and is considered to be ane of the fathers of estimator chess.
Tigran Petrosian became the ninth world champion, after defeating Botvinnik in 1963. He played in a positional style, and was known for wonderful substitution sacrifices. Petrosian defended his title by defeating Boris Spassky in 1966. Three years after, Spassky won the candidates bike again and faced Petrosian for the title for a second time in 1969. Spassky defeated Petrosian in the 1969 match to go the 10th globe champion. Spassky would hold the title for three years, earlier losing the famous lucifer to Bobby Fischer.
Bobby Fischer was ane of the most enigmatic chess figures of all fourth dimension, and the only player able to break downwardly the Soviet chess wall in the 2d half of the 20th century. From 1970-1972, it seemed like there was no one on Earth who could stop him. In 1971, he defeated Mark Taimanov in a Candidates' Match of first to 6 wins. Fischer won the first six games, without a loss or depict. So a few months afterwards he did the aforementioned thing again to Bent Larsen, scoring vi wins in a row. These two accomplishments were unprecedented.
In 1972, Fischer and Spassky played the lucifer that absorbed the entire world, even people who knew zip nigh chess. This was non only viewed as the well-nigh anticipated world chess championship event of all time, but it had not bad geo-political ramifications besides. The U.s.a. and Soviet Union were not only fighting the Cold State of war, just were too fighting for chess supremacy. Fischer was extremely hard to work with, losing the starting time game past a very foreign elementary blunder in a drawn endgame. He then refused to play the second game considering of bug he perceived in the playing hall. Spassky began the lucifer with a 2-0 lead, putting Fischer in a big pigsty. The match was the best of 24 games, and Fischer mounted one of the greatest comebacks of all time - soundly winning by a score of 12.v to 8.5. There are many famous games from this match, only game six stands out - even Spassky gave Fischer a standing ovation after the following game:
Unfortunately for chess history, Fischer refused to defend his title 3 years afterwards. Due to Fischer's seemingly ridiculous demands that FIDE could non grant, he was forced to vacate the title of globe champion. Fischer disappeared from the chess world, until resurfacing in 1992 to play a match with his old rival, Boris Spassky. After winning that match, Fischer once more disappeared from the chess scene - leaving backside more question marks than any other world champion.
Karpov, Kasparov, Computers, and Carlsen
Anatoly Karpov became the twelfth world champion in 1975. He is known for his solid positional mode and fantastic technique, which has been described like a boa constrictor. One-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand states that "Karpov isn't then interested in his ain plan, but he will proceed on foiling yours". Karpov reigned equally the earth champion for x years, and was extremely active at the highest level of chess until effectually 1997. Subsequently in his career several books were published under his name, and he became very active in Russian politics.
Karpov's dominance in the 1970s and 1980s wasn't overcome until the emergence of another Russian Legend, Garry Kasparov. In 1984, the showtime of five Karpov-Kasparov world championship matches occurred. These two chess legends played a total of 144 games for the globe championship title in the previously mentioned 5 matches. Out of these 144 games, 104 were draws, Kasparov had 21 wins, and Karpov had 19 wins. Despite these almost identical match records, Kasparov won every match vs Karpov.
Kasparov would agree the belt for 15 years, the second longest uninterrupted reign later on Lasker's 27. Chess theory had advanced greatly between the early 20th century (Lasker's reign) and the belatedly 20th century. Due to the evolution of chess theory, Kasparov not merely had more than world form opposition, but considerably stronger opposition when compared to Lasker. Kasparov consistently remained caput and shoulders above all contest until he was dethroned by Vladimir Kramnik in 2000. Kasparov was non past his prime number in the friction match versus Kramnik, only strangely out of class. He remained the highest rated player in the world until 2005, becoming the first person ever to alienation 2800 Elo.
Kasparov was the first major player to heavily use computers for training and study of the game, and he defeated the strongest computers of the belatedly 1980s and early on 1990s in several highly publicized matches. He was finally defeated by the supercomputer Deep Blue in 1997, the start time a calculator had defeated a globe champion in a match that changed the world. Kasparov has always mantained that homo collusion was involved in helping the computer select the right move at crucial moments. Deep Blueish was dismantled afterward the match. After retiring from competitive chess, Kasparov wrote several fantastic books (including his wonderful multi-book work My Predecessors), and became involved in Russian politics. He recently did the Master Class series on chess, which he discussed in this chess.com exclusive interview:
In 2005, computers were finally seen as much more powerful than whatever human could ever become. This was due to a supercomputer, Hydra, easily defeating Michael Adams (ranked seventh in the world at the time with a rating of 2737). Hydra won the match with a 5.5 points out of vi games. Computer engines continued to get stronger and stronger. A pop open source engine, Stockfish, has an estimated ELO of around 3400. In 2017, a new entity in the chess globe, AlphaZero, soundly defeated Stockfish in a 100 game match. In early on 2018, AlphaZero defeated Stockfish again - this time in a one,000 game match with time odds.
Humans are also becoming stronger with the aid of computers for analysis, research, and opening theory. Nowadays, almost every chess player uses chess engines, including current World Champion Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen has been the reigning world champion since defeating Viswanathan Anand in 2013, and has remained the highest rated player in the globe for a long time. He continues his dominance, and won the kickoff 4 tournaments he played in 2019. He holds the tape for highest rating in history at 2882 (attained in 2014), and currently holds a classical rating of 2876. Many people already consider him to be the strongest role player of all time.
Source: https://www.chess.com/article/view/history-of-chess
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