64 Square Rabbit Hole
I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but like so many others, chess has taken over my life. Amid a digital revolution, when virtual reality has gone mainstream and fully automated cars are no longer a Sci-Fi fantasy, no one could predict such a boom for this ancient game.
By now, we’ve all seen or heard of ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ as Netflix’s trending powers are undeniable. Add to the mix a global pandemic, with its insatiable need for indoor entertainment, and the trigger for its mainstream ascendance is clear. But there is more to it, over 6 months have passed since Beth Harmon has become a household name and even with covid reliefs, chess fever just keeps spreading at bullet speed.
It’s ironic that as a thriving, multi-billion, industry has turned gaming into a technological feat, this “simple” board game is witnessing such a resurgence. It feels counterintuitiveits low tech nature might hold the key for its newfound success. While gamers use supercomputers to play cutting edge games, a game that is just as intricate but can be played on a piece of wood or an 80s computer appeals to a new and less tech savvy market.
Analog game in a digital world
Despite reports of chess boards selling out in record numbers, the internet is where the scene has truly exploded with exponential growth. Many of us have chess boards tucked away for years, collecting dust after a short burst of inspiration, but online is where I got lost in the sauce. It’s not just the easy access for endless competition that’s responsible for the addiction, but yet another testament for the untamable power of the community.
The internet replaced your traditional town squares or chess clubs, where most amateurs used to gather, play and interact. Chess has caught a second wind as dozens of YouTube and twitch channels popped up and a new echos system has rapidly evolved around the game. It’s not only the top tier players who are showcasing their skills, as even anonymous players have turned YouTube superstars overnight, growing communities of over a million subscribers in just a few months.
These are unimaginable numbers, especially if you consider the game’s traditional dorky and somewhat grey image. Everyone seems to jump the waggon. Celebrities, world class poker players, influencers and huge gamers are duking it out online. Chess streams and tutorials have become content gold and for content junkies, like myself, it was enough to dive into the rabbit hole.
There are levels to this game.
Yet, no technological innovation, or even Netflix’ algorithm, can account for 1500 years of human fascination and love affair with chess. No game has been romanticized with countless quotes, endless metaphors, books, theory and cultural references. It’s a game as complex as life but one that’s completely in your control, a comforting contrast and distraction from the chaotic world we live in.
It takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master, with no limits beyond your dedication, intellect and creativity. Its endless possibilities, framed in a simple closed system, always leaves room to improve. It’s that infinity that is part of the allure however, it does not make for an easy road. There's no fast tracks or game hacks in chess, just a long, plateau filled, sisyphean uphill climb.
You can study all the openings for years, memorize dozens of variations and lines, striving for any advantage and still quickly find yourself in a position that has never been reached before. Walking in uncharted territories, with no theory or preparation to lean on, just you versus the board.
Like many others, I dabbled in chess growing up and played a couple years in my local school club before abandoning the game. However, chess was never a casual game to me and these past 6 months have reminded me just how intense it can get. It’s a mental battle in which “losing makes you feel stupid”, in the words of World Champion — Magnus Carlsen. Comforting statement, coming from a bona-fide genius, and perfectly relatable to novices, like myself, and Grand Masters alike.
It’s a captivating game but one that is easy to see how so many elite players lost their mind to. “The pattern is the pattern”, as go’s the quote from another Netflix show, and chess is all about pattern recognition. The progress is slow and transparent but strangely rewarding once you unlock new levels to the game and recognize different combinations across this language like matrix.
Whether I’m playing the online’s popular bullet formats, blitzing out moves in full flight/fight mode, or the longer and mental draining games, it’s an intense ride. The losses are often more frustrating than the wins are exhilarating, yet that primal competitive nature and chase after those virtual ranking points keeps me hooked in.
