I was wondering what chess players here thought of Fischer Random Chess?(It is also called chess960, because there are 960 different starting positions.) For those of you who are not familiar with it, it is the same rules as classical chess except the back rank is shuffled. Placing the pieces on different squares at the start of the game eliminates opening theory, not opening stratergy. I find that most players I meet like it, but I am curious what people who post here think?
Personally, I am tired of beating players simply because I have had the time in the past to memorize some openings. I am also tired of losing to players for the same reason. Absoluetly no thinking envolved here, just regurgitation. I find that playing people this version of shuffle chess puts my opponents at a more competive level with me. To beat them, I have to play more creatively on uncharted territory. Simply put, shuffle chess will attract more players to the board who quit playing because of the enormous opening preparation required to play at the tournament level. Some of my friends now play chess because of this very reason.
Another good thing about shuffle chess is that it will reduce cheating. There are no opening manuels for Chess960. The position is not determined until the game actually starts! Creative thinking starts at move 1! The better player will still win and for the right reason: he won because he played more creatively and soundly, not because he has more free time to memorize openings. Chess960 would free up chess study time that was spent on opening preparation to more edifying and stimulating aspects of the game like beautiful tactics or attacking techniques(not to mention other middle game principles.) I know people who never get better because they spend all of their time studying openings.
What else does not knowing the starting position of the game mean...NO MORE PREARRANGED GAMES! I remember 2 years ago listening to Silman give a lecture at the US Chess Championships. I could not believe how often he said that prearranged games happen between GMs. Spectators drive hundreds of miles to see GMs play only to see a prearranged draw or whatever. This would not be possible in Fischer Random Chess. There are already Chess960 tournaments in Germany attracting as many as 80 GMs playing in them. Just do a search on the web to see the games and the top players in the world playing them. Peter Svidler is the current chess960 champion. He intially won the title from beating Peter Leko in a Chess960 match! Michael Adams played Peter Leko in the first Chess960 championship.
So what do you people think?
Regards,
Mark Havrilla
Personally I dont like the idea of Fischer Random. It just isnt Chess to me. I do agree that if you study the openings you might have an advantage over someone who hasnt, but I personally dont study openings and I could care less about opening line theory. They dont really matter. It depends on how you move and how your opponent moves. You could make one move and go out of book and win a game or you could make a move and go out of book and lose a game it just depends on how you move. Opening line theory just shouldnt control how a game goes.
Thanks for your reply. I was wondering what you thought chess would lose if opening theory was not an issue(as it is not in chess960.) You say in your own games that you do not play by opening theory...wouldn't it be nice if your opponent had to think on his feet from move 1 as well?
You wrote: "but I personally dont study openings and I could care less about opening line theory."
Chess960 would eliminate your opponents from having opening theory memorized becasue there is no opening theory in chess960. The bank rank is shuffled at the start of the game. Your opponent would have to construct a plan and moves by himself without the crutch of knowing someone else's openings. He would have to play from scratch.