Chess: Difference between revisions

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'''Chess''' (the "Game of Kings") is a [[board game]] for two players, which requires 32 ''chesspieces'' (or ''chessmen''), 16 for each player, usually marked by contrasting color (though other schema exist). The board is [[square]], with eight rows by eight columns of squares of alternating colors (typically white and black). Chess is not a [[game of chance]]; it is based solely on [[tactics]] and [[strategy]]. Nevertheless, the game is so complex that even the best players can't consider all contingencies.

The number of legal positions in chess is estimated to be between 10<small>⁴³</small> and 10<small>⁵⁰</small>, and the [[game-tree complexity]] approximately 10<small>¹²³</small>. The Typicallygame-tree a position has thirty to forty possible moves, but there may be as few as zero (in the casecomplexity of checkmatechess orwas stalemate)first or as many as 218.calculated by [[Claude Shannon]], the (father of modern [[information theory]]) as 10<small>¹²⁰</small>, calculateda number now known as the total"Shannon number". of possibleTypically chessan gamesaverage position has thirty to beforty morepossible thanmoves, thebut numberthere ofmay atomsbe as few as zero (in the knowncase [[universe]].of Thatcheckmate number,or 10<small>¹²⁰</small>,stalemate) isor knownas many as the218. "Shannon number".

Chess is one of humanity's more [[popularity|popular]] games; it is has been described not only as a game, but also as both [[art]] and [[science]]. Chess is sometimes seen as an [[abstract]] [[wargame]]; as a "[[mind|mental]] [[martial art]]". Chess is played both recreationally and competitively in [[Chess club|clubs]], tournaments, on-line, and [[Play by mail game|by mail]] ([[correspondence chess]]). Many [[Chess Variants|variants]] and relatives of chess are played throughout the world; amongst them, the most popular are [[Xiangqi]] (in [[China]]), [[Shogi]] (in [[Japan]]), and [[Buddhi Chal]] (in [[Nepal]]), all of which come from the same historical stem as chess.