White and Black in chess

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In chess, the player who moves first is referred to as "White" and the player who moves second is referred to as "Black." Similarly, the pieces that each conducts are called, respectively, "the white pieces" and "the black pieces." The pieces are often not literally white and black, but some other colors (usually a light color and a dark color, respectively). The 64 squares of the chessboard, which is colored in a checkered pattern, are likewise referred to as "white squares" or "light squares" on the one hand, and "black squares" or "dark squares" on the other. In most cases, the squares are not actually white and black, but a light color and a contrasting dark color. For example, the squares on plastic boards are often white and green, while those on wood boards are often light brown and dark brown.

Contents

History

According to Howard Staunton, "In the earlier ages of chess, the board was simply divided into sixty-four squares, without any difference of colour".1

The convention of White having the first move is comparatively recent. François-André Danican Philidor in the original (1749) edition of his famous treatise Analyse du jeu des Échecs cited one game in which Black moved first.2 Johann Horny, in a book published in Germany in 1824, wrote that Black moves first.3 In the Immortal Game (Anderssen-Kieseritzky, offhand game, London 1851), one of the most famous games in history, Anderssen had the Black pieces but moved first.4

As late as the mid-to-late 19th century, the practice of White moving first had not yet become standard. On October 19, 1857, Mr. Perrin, the Secretary of the New York Chess Club, informed those assembled at the First American Chess Congress that he had received a letter from Johann Löwenthal, a leading English master, "suggesting the advisableness of always giving the first move in public games, to the player of the white pieces."5 The club evidently did not follow this advice, since in its match the following year against its Philadelphia counterpart, Philadelphia played White in both games, but moved first only in the second game.6 The "Revised International Chess Code" issued at the London 1883 tournament (one of the strongest in history)7 provided that the player who won by lot the right to move first had the choice of color.8

In 1889 Wilhelm Steinitz, the first World Champion, wrote that "In all international and public Chess matches and tournaments ... it is the rule for the first player to have the white men".9 Emanuel Lasker, the second World Champion, stated unequivocally in Lasker's Manual of Chess (first published in 1927)10 that "White makes the first move".11

First-move advantage

Main article: First-move advantage in chess

There has been a debate among chess players at least since 1889 about whether playing first gives White a significant advantage. Statistical analysis shows that White scores a little over 50% at most levels of play, and that White's margin increases as the standard of play improves.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Howard Staunton, The Chess-Player's Handbook (2nd ed. 1848), Henry C. Bohn, p. 1.
  2. ^ François-André Danican Philidor, Analysis of the Game of Chess (1749 and 1777, reprinted 2005), Hardinge Simpole, p. 32. ISBN 1-84382-161-3.
  3. ^ Andy Soltis, Chess to Enjoy, Stein and Day, 1978, p. 86. ISBN 0-8128-6059-4.
  4. ^ Kling and Horwitz: The Chess Player, July 1851
  5. ^ David Lawson, Paul Morphy: The Pride and Sorrow of Chess, p. 65, David McKay, 1976. ISBN 0-679-13044-6.
  6. ^ Neil Brennen, "New York vs. Philadelphia: The 1858 Telegraph Match," Chess Life, June 2008, p. 38.
  7. ^ According to Chessmetrics, London 1883 was the second strongest tournament played between 1840 and 1900, and included the world's seven best players at that time.
  8. ^ Rule 2 of the Code provided that, "Before the beginning of the first game the first move and choice of colour are determined by lot. The first move changes alternately in match play." J.I. Minchin, The Games played in the London International Chess Tournament 1883, 1883 (reprinted 1973 by British Chess Magazine), p. xiv.
  9. ^ Wilhelm Steinitz, The Modern Chess Instructor (1889, reprinted 1990), Edition Olms AG, Zürich, p. xii. ISBN 3-283-00111-1.
  10. ^ David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld, The Oxford Companion to Chess (2nd ed. 1992), Oxford University Press, p. 219. ISBN 0-19-866164-9.
  11. ^ Emanuel Lasker, Lasker's Manual of Chess, Dover, 1960, p. 12.

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  • This page was last modified on 24 November 2008, at 16:50.

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