Well, that’s a pretty broad statement, but a very true one,
as most of you realize. Beyond the obvious changes, though, lie subtle ones
that are so commonplace now, some chess players might not even know they are
new. Let’s take a look at a few of the ways Internet and computers have changed
chess, permanently.
1. Hate-sitting
Sometimes called ‘clock-sitting’, it is when one player,
usually the losing one, just stops moving and allows their clock to run down
instead of resigning. It’s annoying in bullet chess, it’s downright uncool in
long games. Back when chess was only played OTB, hate-sitting was a rare
occurrence, indeed. It’s much more difficult to sit there with a smirk on your
face letting your clock run down while your opponent is two feet away,
physically looking at you.
2. Fast time controls
Sure, the old masters played speed chess, but not one-minute
games, and not with anywhere near the regularity they appear today. In fact,
there are far more bullet games played on the ‘net each day than any other type
of chess. That is definitely a sign of the times. It’s very hard to play 2/1
when your clock is an hourglass.
3. Cheating
Ah, yes, cheating; you knew it had to be mentioned. There
have been OTB cheaters, but the number is so miniscule compared to online
cheaters as not to be mentioned. We’ve all heard of Toiletgate and the incident
at the World Open a few years back, but OTB cheaters are caught pretty readily,
whereas online cheaters using a program are much harder to detect, especially
if they are doing it correctly.
4. Regularity
Imagine, for a second, there were no Internet chess games
available. You would have to wait until club night or, if there are no clubs in
your area, you’d have to play limited opponents that would likely be crushed by
you every game if they were only casual players. Today, we can hop online and
within seconds get any kind of chess game we choose, and against any type of
opponent. That is amazing, when you think about how the chess-world was
pre-Bobby Fischer. Just amazing!
5. Lessons for FREE!
Alekhine couldn’t sign on to YouTube in 1924 and learn the
newest lines of an opening he was interested in. Back then, it was learn it by
books or innovation, or don’t learn it at all. I believe this is one of the
many reasons that kids and new players are so much stronger today than they
were back when. Every one of us has access to thousands and thousands of chess
lessons and published games at the click of a mouse.
6. Discussion forums (such as chessforums.org)
Before the common household use of computers, you discussed
chess news and lines with someone you physically knew (or maybe by telephone or
mail), or you didn’t discuss them at all. Today, information moves so quickly
that the average player knows much more about all facets of the game than they
did in Alekhine’s day; that’s a fact.
7. Study habits
Before computers, players were meticulously going over
opening lines, endgame techniques, and working things out with other players over
an actual board. Today, we can fire up any of a gajillion databases, watch a
sea of videos, hire strong masters to train us via Skype, and use powerful
engines to immediately evaluate any position in the world. Times, they say, are
a changin’.
8. Money
The Internet has opened up a great big highway for the money
monster. Masters can now charge for lessons and give them from the comfort of
their own homes. Businessmen can open up pay chess sites and collect both
member and ad revenue. Grandmasters are paid to host online simuls, give
lectures on games or theory, record video lessons for the masses, and even play
each other. Try that in 1930.
There are myriad other ways that the Internet/computer has changed chess, but I’ll leave you with those eight for now. Who knows what lies in the next five, ten, fifteen years? The huge changes we will see are going to be both exhilarating and terrifying.
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