Re: Reformed Chess
- From: "Chess One" <innes8@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 12:42:30 GMT
"M Winther" <mlwi@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:opty3q7ix53bzrao@xxxxxxxxxxx
It seems like about three quarters of the current world championship
games end in a draw.
I counted the first half. It was 9 white wins, 2 black wins and 22 draws,
making an exact ratio of decisive games [DG] to draws [D] of 1:2 or 1/3 to
2/3
Although the situation for chess is not acute
(unlike Anglosaxon draughts that has been solved by the computer) I
have the feeling that modern chess is involved in a slow downward
spiral. The theoretical paths are well-trodden to the extent that the
players are too much in control. Positions are becoming very familiar
after haven been played 10.000 times. It could be time for a
reformation of the rules, at least as an alternative to standard
chess. I've been working with several propositions. My latest is this:
Just before you go on - and this is a good post - I think for /top/ players
it is much as you say, but for most players it ain't. I'm sorry, but I do
not know the DG:D ratio from USCF rating system, though I expect it to be
much different than above. From anecdote of both OTB fast chess and also
correspondance, very few games seem to be drawn - maybe 15% tops.
In "Reformed Chess" a pawn situated on the enemy side can change place
with an enemy pawn standing before it. If a pawn has passed the middle
line and can move forwards to a square occupied by an enemy pawn, then
the two pawns can change place. Otherwise regular rules apply.
There is another idea for top players, and that is to give them either very
much more time, or much less time - both seem to effect the draw ratio.
There are also novel ideas around [like from Wash. State] on awarding a
decisive result with more points than 2 draws. ie, instead of scoring 1
point, you score 1.5, while still obtaining .5 for a draw and 0 for a loss.
This makes for a very large incentive.
The other 'problem' with top players can be seen with the White:Black ratio
of 9:2. Some novel scoring systems provide black with more score than white
for a win, with or without increasing the DG:D ratio.
But for most players, chess is so far from being played-out, or
draw-infested, that no changes are necessary. In fact, very few people can
even trot out the first dozen moves of relatively popular lines.
I think you address a real problem, Mat, but changing the way the game is
played to accommodate top GMs seems less acceptable to the great majority of
players, than fiddling with the time controls or with the scoring.
Cordially, Phil Innes
Although the pawn, in a sense, is stronger, it is also more
vulnerable, while it has lost much of its blocking capability. It's
now more rewarding to expand your territory, and it can be dangerous
to play passively with your pawns. Engames are much more likely to end
in a win.
http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/reformedchess.htm
Mats
.
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