Introduction
Everyone who has played chess is aware of the fact that the player who happens to have the advantage of playing with the white pieces gets the privilege of making the first move. As every chess player is aware of this rule I’m sure the question of just why and when this ruling came into effect has also crossed the mind of the majority of chess players. It’s now well known that during the medieval period in Europe and further back in history major adaptations have been made to the way chess is played. Most countries in Asia for example have an alternative way of playing chess incorporating different rulings than is commonly found in Europe.
Aside from a large number of countries having different rulings on how chess is played in their countries historically the design of the common chess board set has varied greatly depending on where you happened to be in the world. The main elements of the chess board that differentiates chess from other board games played on alternating squares is the chess pieces themselves. Being able to distinguish your opponents pieces from your own and having clarity on where you are positioned on the chess board is easiest when each square is clearly isolated from the next. The choice of colour for a chess board has varied greatly depending on the taste of the individual.
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Do Whites Usually Win In Chess?
In chess whites have a statistical advantage by having the privilege of the first move. Having the first move means that the black pieces will have to respond to the moves the white pieces makes. The first move of the game in chess is one of the most important for both sides as the proper development of your chess pieces will be a deciding factor in who will win the game and whites usually win compared to blacks in chess because of this.
Overall in chess the player who gets to play with the white coloured pieces has a slight advantage over their opponent. On average white coloured chess pieces tend to win just over 50% more of the games played against black coloured chess pieces. Depending on the ratings of the chess players and their ability to properly develop the chess pieces on the board playing with white chess pieces as opposed to black chess pieces will provide the greatest chances of success in most cases. Most chess players recognise the slight advantage white chess pieces have over black chess pieces and would prefer to play with white pieces when the opportunity presents itself. In many cases experienced chess players will allow less experienced chess players to play with white chess pieces and have the first move as the slight advantage from having the first move is futile against great strategy and improvisation.
The first mover advantage in chess allows the whites to set the tone of the game, the blacks in chess by default has to defend against the moves made by the whites which means that the development of the blacks chess pieces on the board in most instances will be subject to the whites’ previous move. The disadvantages of having to adopt a reactionary stance as opposed to having a proactive plan of action in chess can be a deciding factor on the way a game can go just as in life. Even at the grandmaster level in chess the effects of having the first move advantage by playing with white pieces as opposed to playing with black pieces can be felt with grandmasters winning less than 20% of their games playing with black pieces against white pieces.
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Why Are Black Chess Pieces At A Disadvantage?
Black chess pieces are at a disadvantage in chess because of the first move advantage white pieces have been given. Proactivity and having the first move advantage in chess has substantially more benefits as opposed to having to adopt a reactionary method of defence. As long as the chess player with the white pieces can limit the blunders made at the start of the game and effectively develop their pieces they will have a much greater chance when juxtaposed to the black pieces of winning the game.
Chess players across the board that play with black pieces tend to lose the majority of the games they play. Data from a plethora of studies clearly show that the majority of chess games taken from the viewpoint of the black pieces are less likely to result in a win. The skill of the chess player when playing with black pieces will have the most sway in the direction of the game when playing chess. Having the correct response to the moves the chess player with the white pieces makes is extremely important. Ultimately the principles of good chess strategy applies to the black pieces much more heavily as the black side has less room for error at the beginning of the game. As the chess game progresses if the player with the black pieces is able to make the least amount of blunders their chances of winning increases dramatically.
Although the first move advantage assigned to the white chess pieces provides an easier path to success the player with the black pieces in most instances will be an experienced chess player giving the advantage of the first move to the less experienced chess player in order to make the game fair. The mechanisms of chess make it inherently more likely for the player with the first move advantage to win more games from a mathematical standpoint making the slight edge one player has over the next in chess simply just a part of the game which can serve to strengthen the chess players resolve and creativity when the odds are against them. Chess is a game designed to simulate warfare and because of this each side has an aspect of war they focus on the player with the white pieces will fare best taking an offensive approach whereas the player with the black pieces will fare best taking a defensive approach. Each player will have to play to the best of their ability regardless of the side they play on and just as the white pieces have the advantage of the first move the black pieces advantage relies on the players ability to properly defend.
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Why Are White Pieces Better In Chess?
Many chess players would prefer to play with white chess pieces as it gives the chess player the first move advantage which statistically increases their chances of winning the game. Whites pieces in chess in general tend to win around 55% of chess games whereas black chess pieces tend to win around 45% of chess games. Most chess players view white pieces as being better than black pieces in chess because of this first move advantage.
Playing with white chess pieces is very well associated with winning more chess games and there is much data and statistics to back this belief. Grandmasters even feel the effects of this losing the majority of the games they play with black chess pieces when compared to white chess pieces. The advantages of having the first move that playing with white chess pieces provides has to be met with the proper strategy to render any substantial benefit to the chess player. Less experienced chess players may not yet have the vision to effectively utilise the positional advantage making the first move allows you to secure but the effects can be more clearly seen in chess tournaments and championship games. Top tier chess players with an Elo rating greater than 2500 on average win more than 60% of their games playing with white chess pieces.
The question of whether white pieces are better than black pieces in chess is really a question of how important the first move of the game is. All of the advantages that comes with playing with white chess pieces are subject to having the privilege of the first move and the game can easily be flipped to the black sides advantage by simply assigning the blacks pieces the first move advantage. As the official rules of chess currently permits white pieces the first move it would be to your benefit to prefer to play with white pieces when in professional games however when playing more relaxed and casual games it’s irrelevant which side moves first in chess.
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Is Chess A Fair Game?
Aside from the first move advantage the white pieces have over the black pieces in chess which increases whites winning percentage by 5% to 55% and decreases blacks winning percentage by 5% to 45% chess is a considered a reasonably fair game. The slight edge the whites pieces have over the black pieces is mitigated by the fact that the white pieces will have to risk more at the start of the game and will have to pay first for any blunders made.
While it’s true the player with the white pieces has an inherent advantage in chess by having the first move the whites chances are only slightly increased compared to blacks. Each side in chess has to be played according to who makes the first move. For instance the player with the white pieces should aim to attack as soon as possible and would find much more success taking an offensive approach whereas the opposite is true for the player with the black pieces. For the player with the black pieces the focus by default should be on defence at the beginning of games with more opportunities becoming available later on in the game as long as their able to make minimal blunders and develop their pieces on the chess board. The game becomes much more balanced as each player develops their pieces on the board and the chances each player has of winning begins to lean more on the skill of the player than anything else.
Depending on your perspective whites have an inherent advantage in chess and so the game is unfair and rigged in favour of the player with the white pieces however when viewed as a game that develops offensive and defensive strategies chess is a very fair game and accomplishes more than has been noticed. When looked at from this perspective chess players are able to strengthen not only their offensive strategies when playing with white pieces but just as or even more important their defensive strategies when playing with black pieces. The best chess player are able to find success regardless of what side they play on by simply adopting the strategy best suited to the challenge that has been presented to them.
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Why Do Whites Go First In Chess?
The decision to permit the white or lighter coloured chess pieces the first move of the game has been the cause and topic of much discussion since the ruling came into effect in the mid-19th century. The proposal was made by English chess players at the first American chess conference for reasons that caused many people to question whether racism played a part in the reasons for the proposal and the ultimate adoption of the idea.
Historically any chess player was permitted the privilege of making the first move however as chess became more popular around the world and countries began to institutionalise chess the heavy implementation of rules in chess became much more prevalent. As organisations were built around the growing chess community beginning in the early 19th century the introduction of rules that would be adhered to by the global chess community made their way into chess games as a way of minimising disputes chess players may have at the professional level which then extended to the rules adopted in casual chess games.
Many people think that the decision to grant the right of having the first move to the lighter coloured chess piece was rooted in racism. The suspicions of racism around the proposal and ultimately the adoption of the ruling stems from both the period of time in which the proposal was made being a time in which racism was rampant in Europe and the Americas and the fact that the proposal itself at such a time was extremely distasteful and highlights the indifference many people felt towards the plight of the melanated people of the world at the time. The ruling to assign whites the first move in chess and the inherent privileges that comes along with it has been paralleled with the societal imbalances attributed to white privilege and because of this chess now serves as a strong physical representation of the drawbacks of assigning such privileges to one side against another.
Whether the decision to assign the lighter coloured chess pieces was rooted in racism or not is rather a topic of the deeper issues our society has faced in the past and continues to battle as opposed to a ruling in chess that has any major significance. A clear and unanimous agreement on matters such as who gets the first move in addition to the 50 move rule had to be established locally and eventually globally for any strides to be made in the professional sector of chess. As mentioned previously the mechanisms of chess makes it impossible for both sides to have the first move advantage.
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Conclusion
Early in the history of chess the first move was assigned to the winner of a coin toss or draw instead of a specific colour having the right to the first move as is common today. The timing of the ruling caused many to suspect racism as the underlying reason for the ruling and there have been ongoing discussions on the reasons and parallels the ruling has with issues we currently face in society. The issue of who gets the first move in chess can be easily fixed by reassigning the right to the first move to the black pieces and vice versa.
Chess may have been used in the past as a tool to further promote the agendas of a small minority of people because of the popularity of the game at the time and the expected growth of chess in the future. Chess has surely grown in popularity since the time of the ruling and also the maturity of our society has seen major growth since. As society and the viewpoints held by society at large continues to evolve the disagreeable views of the past and the suspicions of racism surrounding chess will ultimately falter away and a sense of purity will return to chess.
