"In chess, as it is played by masters, chance is practically eliminated." Emanuel Lasker
Why do we say that chess is science? What can science be defined as?
In essence, science has no degree of certainty, there is only probability in science. Is that not what chess is? There's a probability that you will capture the king of your opponent and there is a chance that your king will get captured by your opponent. While master chess players use strategies to ensure that there is no room left for chance during play, chess is a game where anybody can make all the right moves. Inevitably for a novice chess player, chess is a game in which there is a chance that you will win and a chance that you will lose.
Modern science is when we start to understand how the natural world works. Chess is a science that entails trying to understand how the game on the chessboard will play out. Are you starting to see the similarities between science and chess?
If not, Superprof will try to convince you all the more to start seeing chess as a science. Have we already convinced you that chess is a form of art? Maybe you are aware that chess is a sport but are you ready to see chess as something more?
Do you think that there can be a link between chess and science?
The Science of Chess
Did you know that you get a DVD entitled, "The Science of Chess?" The DVD was created by the chess master Eduard Gufeld who acted as a chess coach to Maya Chiburdanidze who was the youngest women to win the Women's World Chess Championship. Perhaps there must be a link between science and chess for Gufeld to have termed his instructional DVD, "The Science of Chess". The DVD is one in which Gufeld shares all his best chess secrets which he has taught some of the best chess players to date. While the DVD shares relatively new chess strategies, chess itself is quite a dated board game.
There are many board games that were developed in the past that are still played today. Backgammon, checkers, chess, and Monopoly (or The Landlord's Game as it was previously called) are still enjoyed by millions today. While we will say that Monopoly is game that offers us a way of learning economic management science, chess is a board game that enables chess players to adorn the hats of scientists.
Get some tips on how Chess a Form of Mindfulness? on Superprof
In fact, there has been barely any changes to the format of the game of chess since it first came to be. Since the beginning when chess first started being played to now, there hasn't been any changes made to the chessboard, chess pieces, or to the objective of the game. What has changed over time is the way that chess players look to study past chess games in order to devise strategies and tactics to become better chess players.
Studying past literature is something that scientists do in order to find the gaps in this literature. So are chess players not following suit by studying past chess games to find ways to improve their play?
To improve play, a chess player needs to try strategies and see if they work. With scientists, when they discover a new theory, they test the theory and draw up a hypothesis to either accept or reject the theory. A chess player will conduct a similar type of hypothesis in his or her head, deciding upon which moves to keep and which moves to drop as he or she is playing the game.
Speaking of theory and literature, did you know the Netflix hit show, "The Queen's Gambit," was created solely because of literature? It was the author Walter Tevis who created the character of Beth Harmon from his own life experience being in a world where chess was just as competitive. Many of the events within the book and movie are based on real life events from the competitive world of chess that Tevis had been placed in. Much of the theory used to create the show was taken from the real competitive world of chess as it had been in the sixties- a time period in which the show is set.
In the same way, chess has evolved due to chess players formulating their own research about ways to improve their chess skills. When master chess players come together perhaps they can create a whole volume of literature that entails tried and tested experiments on the chessboard that future chess players can use in order to achieve success in the game.
Are you starting to get to grips with the many faces of chess? Are you starting to accept that chess can be seen as a science?
Chess if viewed as a science, can be seen as a constantly evolving discipline. Did you come up with your own theories on how to be a better player on the chessboard by watching, "The Queen's Gambit?"
See why and how Chess is Considered a Sport? on Superprof
Science behind Chess
Yes, chess has evolved considerably over time. Being developed as a military strategy game to entertain soldiers who had been fighting in war, to becoming a game which reflects the different ranks of people within a society, the game has advanced considerably. As chess increased in popularity, the materials used to manufacture these chessboards and chess pieces also evolved over the years.
While initially the game of chess was played as a past time, slowly but surely, chess started becoming an interest for many. Eventually, those interested in chess were developing chess related theory. It was the French chess master, Francois-Andre Philidor, who had published his work on chess theories. From there, the rest as they would say is history. More and more master chess players became interested in publishing their theories on how to give your opponent a good game of chess.
From the theories published and the work done to push forward chess theory, it became clear that chess could be labeled a field of study which entails observation and experimentation.
Every single new development in chess over the last few years have depended upon pure logic, principle and empirical evidence.
Everything from timing to calculated moves on the chessboard are considered by chess players who function must like scientists. Like scientists know that timing is everything when conducting an experiment, chess players know that timing when you make certain moves on the chessboard also matters.
So just as chess might be a science, there is a science behind the development of chess too.
Check out the Many Faces of Chess on Superprof
Chess and Science: Drawing Conclusions
Just as scientific theories change when new evidence is brought to the fore, more chess masters developing theories could mean that chess players strategic moves could also be changed. While change has become necessary to stay abreast of the modern tactics occurring on the chessboard, chess in essence entails building on the knowledge that chess players already have. That is what science is all about, building upon existing knowledge so as to devise new knowledge.
Scientists, as we have read in many of our Natural Science and Technology textbooks, have worked alone to devise their theories. It is much the same for chess players. Chess players become so fully engrossed in the game of chess that they work in isolation. Chess players work alone in order to come up with theories that can help them to make the right moves on the chessboard. Perhaps when a chess player is working solo, he or she has more of a chance of being mindful of his or her every move.
Did you know that chess is also a form of mindfulness?
Like most scientists, chess players study a body of knowledge in order to gain the information that will be most impactful in terms of creating effortless movement on the chessboard.
A keen interest, exploding curiosity, and a firm mindset is what scientists are believed to possess and this is what we are starting to see come to the fore in our chess players. If you disagree, you need watch the Netflix hit television series, "The Queen's Gambit," to be convinced. If the fictional protagonist Beth Harmon doesn't embody the intellect and inner determination of a scientist, we are not sure who does.
Agreeing with the Science Chess Connection
"Chess is life and every game is like a new life." Eduard Gufeld
Do chess players take chess strategies for granted? Not quite! There isn't a chess player who hasn't put to the test chess theory that he or she has learnt about in order to test the relevance of the strategy. If chess is much like life, then just like life and science, players are learning new things on the chessboard everyday. If you are finding the laws of physics impossible to grapple, perhaps you need to try grasping the laws of chess which get more complicated later in the game.
Just like a science experiment gone wrong, so too is having a bad bishop on the board. If your bishop is blocked by your own pawns and pieces, perhaps you need to study the chess-related theory again. Remember a failed experiment offers both scientists and chess players the chance to consult further sources of literature and to learn more.
If cooking and baking can be seen as a science, then undoubtedly chess can be a science too. In fact chess is life, and science is basically needed in every aspect of life!
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