Chess’ origin is currently unknown as earlier forms of its pieces have been found in countries all around Asia with many different variations like a one-hundred board square, dice, etc. Chess slowly popularized as it migrated towards Europe through Persia, and the oldest recorded game was played in the 10th century in Baghdad. As it was eventually introduced around the world, chess rules modernized and were standardized across the globe. Chess was relatively small back then and was only played by higher class kings and emperors until two important rule changes were made to the game, which included the introduction of pawn promotion and the most powerful piece in the game - the queen. The official title of world champion started in the late 19th century and this is where spectators began and started to take interest in chess.

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Turochamp, the first ever chess program, was made by Alan Turing and it allowed computers to  play full games of chess. This chess engine was not as strong as modern engines like Stockfish, however, it was developed and improved by several other computer scientists to eventually beat the former world champion Gary Kasparov. Currently, chess engines have been thoroughly improved and they continue to improve as they are now far better than humans. Above all, the strength of AI in chess is growing faster than ever as the newly developed was able to beat the most powerful chess engine at the time convincingly.  There are many versions of chess AI and each of them have been improved in several stages. Some examples include: AlphaZero, Stockfish, Deep Blue, Leela Chess Zero, etc. 

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AI has been rigorously developed and implemented in chess in all sorts of aspects now, for example, chess is now not only used to find the best moves but also for online cheat detection methods. Top grandmasters all around the world now all use AI to analyze chess openings, positions, and tactics to prepare for upcoming matches and improve their game. Instead of being coached by a professional, many beginners in chess are opting to be taught by chess AI learning algorithms like chess.com’s AI coach. 

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Works Cited:

Bohai. “Ai and Its Impact on Chess.” Medium, ILLUMINATION-Curated, 1 Sept. 2021, medium.com/illumination-curated/ai-and-its-impact-on-chess-78e4ceb95c21.

Soltis, Andrew E.. "chess". Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Jun. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/chess. Accessed 30 June 2024.

Krishnamurthy, Bharath. “Chess Ai: A Brief History.” Built In, 31 Oct. 2022, builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/chess-ai#:~:text=A%20Brief%20History%20of%20Chess,Engine%20Championship%20season%2015%20title.

Team, Chess. “Chess Engine: Top 10 Engines in the World.” Chess.Com, www.chess.com/terms/chess-engine. Accessed 30 June 2024. 

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