Does it make sence to play engine against engine? No? Obviously a little bit more complicated question. If you think of chess like sports, the answer is always: engines prohibited. Chess however rise theoretical questions and here are engines to help.
International correspondence federation allows use of chess engines /
In correspondce game deep analisys was never prohibited, but even desirable. This includes help of the books and friends, which is now not allowed in classical chess.
No proper way to detect engine use in a serious game. Did you ever think where the debut preparation ends? How accurate could be chess player? How many banned by mistake?
Use of engines allows to understand the game deeper. Honestly much much deeper. The reason of this that only engine is not enough to win against human + computer. Computer only sugests, but human makes a decision. U should combine intuition, chess experience, software and hardware preparation. If you stupidly follow the first line, you got beaten.
Yes, it seems we came close to chess horisont
Around 15/16 correspondence games end with a draw. The same in the classical chess. Maybe it's trully dyin' The successor chess960 or crazyhouse (which one is favourite for me) Is not what we really would like to see.
Chess federations explore the different solution
Chess become sports rather than a theory. It supports younger and younger stars, atracts investors, prohibits "doping" Engines prohibited mostly even in correspondence chess. Who wonders; It's completely prohibited on Lichess and Chess.com as well. They claim to detect cheaters. (Of course they can.. We know how it always works ;)
So yes, if you look for easy and honourable sport, chess is perfect nowadays. That's why short controls are gettin' popular and we don't need to worry about. Romantic chess died and then classical too..
How about chess theory?
I think it is not completely died yet, but will became even less known in the future. Anyway, if you like chess theory enough to spend days for a one game, join correspondence federation. Then, you can honestly say
