Why now is the time to start getting into chess.
When quickly making a point about the mind-boggling complexity of the game of chess, it is often mentioned that there are more possible chess games than there are atoms in the universe. Writing down that number would probably exceed the space allotted to this piece, but it is safe to say it is a really, really big one. While it is beyond my grasp to understand how someone could possibly know how many atoms there are out there in the cold dark universe, fun facts like this illuminate something very important about the endless fascination surrounding chess: it is a game that can never be mastered.
At first blush, the game appears to be the embodiment of cold hard logic – after all, each piece moves in a certain way and there are only certain moves that can be made, and the rules can never be broken. But the sheer vastness of possibilities in your moves and those of your opponent take chess out of the purview of any definitive logic – it is a game of creativity, style, personality, and emotion.
Some of the earliest examples of AI that we heard about were instances of computers playing chess. Garry Kasparov was infamously beaten by the supercomputer Deep Blue, and many at the time thought perhaps this was the end – humans would never be better players than an AI that has been trained with thousands upon thousands of past games. And yet, for all the data that computers can hold, humans can still beat AI players.
And why is that so? Again, it all comes down to the sheer vastness of the possible moves. Not even an advanced machine can be fed all the combinations, and so a temperamental, erratic human with a touch of genius and a little bit of madness could beat a machine, and they routinely do. No one, therefore, human or synthetic, has had the last word on the game of kings.
This very finite looking board with a handful of pieces, has exerted endless fascination over human civilisation for 1,500 years and shows no signs of going away, because even after all this time, the possibilities of the game are far from exhausted. The story of the sport is being written and added to every day, with people of all social classes, young and old, falling for the addictive allure of the game.
And what incredible diversity we see in the brilliant minds that have written the story of the game. Here’s Savielly Tartakower, the pan-national genius who was born to Austrian-Jewish parents in Russia, spoke German and French, studied in Switzerland, lived mainly in Vienna, and died in Paris. In 1950, when the title of International Grandmaster was first codified, Tartakower became one of the first grandmasters. He was not just a part of the history of chess, but actively wrote it as a journalist and author, known for his aphoristic wit. We have Tartakower to thank for lines like “stalemate is the tragicomedy of chess” and “chess is a fairy-tale of 1001 blunders.”
And now back home in Bangladesh, here’s Rani Hamid, an absolute legend of the game since 1985, when she won her first Woman International Master. In a game dominated by child prodigies, Rani Hamid started late, not playing formally until age 34. Perhaps it was for the best that she took her time, because her longevity has been stunning. At age 75 she won the Bangladesh National Women’s title, and at age 80 she played at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, winning the third round game.
At the other end of the age spectrum, also on our very own soil, is Ryan Rashid Mugdha who recently stunned the world by beating heavyweight Magnus Carlsen at the age of nine. Such a pairing was possible in the first place due to the online chess platform’s random pairing system, but that only goes to show how a world of opportunities has opened up. Mugdha now, already the under-10 junior champion of Bangladesh who represented Bangladesh last year in Thailand, is poised for a bright future. All he needs is the infrastructural and coaching support. Mugdha is also a reminder that there is so much chess talent hidden in Bangladesh – simply waiting to be given a chance.
Other names that have secured a place in chess history at home are Niaz Morshed, Ziaur Rahman, and Reefat Bin-Sattar. Globally, some other names that have gone down in history include the highly eccentric Bobby Fischer, “boa constrictor” Anatoly Karpov, Judit Polgar – whose life story served as an inspiration for the fictional Queen’s Gambit, and “Lightning Kid” Vishwanathan Anand, who in India was practically elevated to the status of comic-book superhero. There are many, many other names that have already entered the hall of fame, and new players are emerging every day. With platforms like Duolingo making it easy for utter novices to dip into this brainy game, and smartphones connecting players from around the world even while on the go, the global chess community is stronger and healthier than ever. In an era of digital dementia and warnings about AI-induced brain rot, it is an absolute delight and a ray of hope to see that the most cerebral of games is only gaining in popularity.