Can Chess Be Solved? What Happens If It Is?

Chess players have been fascinated and challenged for generations by the game’s sophisticated and complex strategies and the seemingly limitless possibilities that result from each move. But what if chess lost this unique advantage over other tactical games? Can chess be solved?

Chess cannot be solved. It’s not possible to find a strategy that guarantees a win or a draw from any position, assuming perfect play from both sides. Chess is too complex to accomplish this. Although computers have made advances in this matter, they haven’t found a close solution to chess yet.

Keep reading to discover more about the answer to one of the most intriguing questions in the study of chess!

What Does It Mean for Chess to Be “Solved”? 

When we refer to “solving” a game like chess, we mean devising a plan that, under ideal conditions on both sides, ensures a win or a draw from any position.

To put it another way, a game is said to be solved when there is a means to reach a particular result that is mathematically proven, regardless of the plays the opponent makes.

In the game of chess, finding a “solution” would be a set of movements that could be used from any starting position to win or draw.

Due to the game’s difficulty, this is harder than it probably sounds, and it is presently unknown whether chess can be solved this way.

It’s important to remember, though, that “solving” can also refer to various accomplishments in game theory, such as determining the best strategies for particular games or examining the game’s theoretical features.

Can Chess Ever Be Solved? 

Chess is an unbelievably complex game. Its enormous number of possible positions and moves makes it impossible to solve. It is unknown at this time whether chess can be solved similarly to less complex games like tic-tac-toe or Connect Four.

Yet with the creation of powerful chess engines that are capable of defeating human players and even grandmasters, there has been a huge advancement in the field of computer chess.

These engines examine millions of potential moves and positions using potent algorithms and search approaches, and they keep becoming better as processing power increases.

Theoretically, there are certain simplified forms of chess that can be resolved. For instance, a group of computer scientists led by Victor Allis in 1997 cracked the simpler chess game of checkers. They demonstrated that a game will always finish in a draw, even with flawless play.

Ultimately, even though it is unclear if chess can be solved, the study of reduced variants of the game and ongoing computer chess research has advanced our understanding of its complexity. Maybe in a few decades, we reach an ultimate “solution” for chess.

What Is the Computational Power Required to Solve Chess? 

The amount of computing power needed to fully solve chess is currently unclear since, as I previously stated, it is not even certain that chess can be entirely solved. But, by using current computer methods, we can estimate the amount of processing needed to examine a single chess move or position.

For instance, it is estimated that the current chess world champion, Stockfish, can analyze over 70 million positions per second on a desktop computer. In order to enhance their analysis, other top chess engines like Leela Chess Zero and AlphaZero employ neural networks and machine learning techniques. Nevertheless, both training and running these engines require a lot of processing power.

It’s important to keep in mind that even with this amount of computing power, these engines are not “solving” chess in the way that we often refer to when we use that term. They can simply evaluate positions and make bold movements based on their analysis, but they can’t always win against a perfect opponent, no matter where they start.

How Far Are We In Solving Chess? 

Since solving chess in the strict sense of the term is challenging, it might be helpful to look into the progress computers are making in this field. In particular, as technology and algorithms evolve, computer engines have grown so powerful that they can now consistently defeat even the best human players.

The analysis of chess endgames with fewer pieces and other simplified variations has advanced, and scholars have successfully determined the best moves to make in these situations. For instance, in 2007, academics solved a chess endgame requiring five pieces or less, demonstrating that, under ideal conditions, a win, loss, or draw will always occur after a predetermined number of moves.

Our comprehension of the complexity of the game and our capacity to play it at the greatest level is being advanced by the continual development of chess engines and research into simpler versions of the game.

Is Chess Solved By AI? 

No, AI hasn’t completely mastered chess yet. Even the best human players are often defeated by AI-powered chess engines, although they are not guaranteed to win versus a flawless opponent from any starting position.

Stockfish, Leela Chess Zero, and AlphaZero are actually AI-powered and have been major breakthroughs in computer chess. These engines examine millions of potential moves and situations using potent algorithms, search strategies, and machine learning. However, they don’t solve chess in the sense we’re waiting for.

What Happens If Chess Is Solved?

Have you ever thought about a day when chess is solved? It would have massive repercussions for the game of chess and game theory as a whole if chess could be mathematically proved to have a winning or a drawing strategy from any starting position.

Chess will lose its mystery 

Chess would lose a lot of its mystery and intrigue if it were solved since there would be a known best course of action that could be taken to get a particular result.

Due to the players’ inability to explore the game’s infinite possibilities and develop novel and surprise play and strategies, this can cause interest in the game to fade.

Chess techniques will help in other applications

Chess-solving methods and algorithms may be applied to address issues in logistics, economics, and cybersecurity, among other areas of artificial intelligence and optimization. This will be a bright side that chess players won’t really care about.

Other games will follow

Chess’ solution could have repercussions for other games and game theory puzzles, advancing our knowledge of the boundaries and potentials of strategic reasoning in conflictive situations. This means creating new games and solving existing ones.

These scenarios are probably way into the future. Chess’ complete solution might never be discovered, not even in the far future.

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