Does anyone know what happens when a game can go on forever?

@coquette said
Intuitively, a "legal" game, without any of the draw options available, would extend far beyond a mere 6000 moves. I'd guess, offhand, that 6 million moves wouldn't be enough.

If you remove the 50-move and 3-position rules, the game can go on until the death of whichever player is the most mortal. Just shuffle a pair of knights around and you will never make any progress. That's the very point of those rules: to stop games from being potentially infinite.

And yes, the analysis that led to the numbers quoted was reasonable. A much less thorough back-of-the-envelope estimate: after 50 moves, either a pawn must be moved or a piece must be taken. There are ~30 pieces on the board, and a maximum of ~15×~8 pawn moves, makes ~150×50=~7500 moves, max. All of those numbers except the 50 are rough approximations, but the result is going to be of the right order of size. The analysis that led to the nearly 6000 was rather more exact.

@shallow-blue said
If you remove the 50-move and 3-position rules, the game can go on until the death of whichever player is the most mortal. Just shuffle a pair of knights around and you will never make any progress. That's the very point of those rules: to stop games from being potentially infinite.

And yes, the analysis that led to the numbers quoted was reasonable. A much less thoro ...[text shortened]... ng to be of the right order of size. The analysis that led to the nearly 6000 was rather more exact.

I'll not quibble about 6,000 or 6,000,000. The Earth is flat. Time travel was made possible in 3465 ce. Hint: the actual precise maximum was calculated at 34,652,591,728,652,998,437 by professor Heinrich von Brughermein of the Institute of Mathematics and Astrology.

However, I beg to point out one fallacy . . . a game is not defined nor identified nor limited to that of the player. Yes, true, most humans are mortal - not so, any individual chess game. To confect the two is an ecological fallacy, respectfully.

@coquette said
I'll not quibble about 6,000 or 6,000,000. The Earth is flat. Time travel was made possible in 3465 ce. Hint: the actual precise maximum was calculated at 34,652,591,728,652,998,437 by professor Heinrich von Brughermein of the Institute of Mathematics and Astrology.

...too much brandy in your Christmas cake?

@shallow-blue said
...too much brandy in your Christmas cake?

Just the precise right amount 😋

@coquette said
I'll not quibble about 6,000 or 6,000,000. The Earth is flat. Time travel was made possible in 3465 ce. Hint: the actual precise maximum was calculated at 34,652,591,728,652,998,437 by professor Heinrich von Brughermein of the Institute of Mathematics and Astrology.

However, I beg to point out one fallacy . . . a game is not defined nor identified nor limited to that of t ...[text shortened]... rtal - not so, any individual chess game. To confect the two is an ecological fallacy, respectfully.

Someone is a matchstick short in their humor box.

@mwmiller

YES you are correct, thanks, it is answered in the FAQ

@Shallow-Blue

my brain is too small to process whatever u have written here, but thanks for the input

@coquette

yes, exactly correct!

@BigDoggProblem

like that, yes

@Ponderable

i knew the rule, of course (not), but not if this software here at RHP is set up to honour that rule ???

@venda

i think is is automatic here on rhp, numerous games i was not paying attention and found i had lost the game, much to my surprise

@DeepThought
i'm quite sure that when electrons decay, and trillions upon trillions already have decayed, they become Donald Trump