Why are you guys choosing to play chess instead of Fischer Random Chess/Chess960?

Why do you want to play with the same starting position every game that has been analyzed to death? You usually get the same positions over and over again with the same old openings. Why not experience the full possibilities chess has to offer with Fischer Random Chess/Chess960?

The differences of the same positions we usually get over and over again are subtle, not random.

@ungewichtet said in #2:

The differences of the same positions we usually get over and over again are subtle, not random.

None of the positions you get in Chess960 are random except the starting positions.

In a sense, the starting position in regular chess is kind of random. It's not like God or the players chose it. It just developed that way according to arbitrary historical events.

Not many people play Chess 960, so it's more convenient to seek a standard game. How long does it take you to find a game?

@KingRod said in #4:

Not many people play Chess 960, so it's more convenient to seek a standard game. How long does it take you to find a game?

This is true. Not many people play it which is a valid issue. It tends to take me a little while to get a game, but I think that's mostly because I prefer longer time controls than the average chess player. I normally will accept games that are at least 15 mins, but I prefer about 30. But it doesn't take too long to get bullet, blitz, or rapid games.

And I do think I've enjoyed most of the 960 games I've played more than standard chess. The crazy positions you get can be so fun sometimes. And I don't have to bother myself with preparation or opening theory.

@Prophiscient
I wanted to say position 518 is more subtle because it is not random and that is why we like to play it.

You could call the actual set up of classical chess contingent, but you can hardly call it arbitrary.

Bishops are very well placed, knights are very well placed, rooks could reach 14 squares from anywhere, so they are perfect corner stones. The strongest and the most important pieces are in the center. The pawns shield. There is meaning to chess expressing itself in the set up.

The pieces are well organized and what is to be discovered is to be found and brought about by you. If we want to repeat and play the same openings over and over again, normally for the sake of success, that is our problem. It isn't a limitation set by the normal starting position.

They play it because it is comfortable and familiar, gradually leading into unfamiliar territory instead of a sudden shock of starting in a new position.

@ungewichtet said in #6:

@Prophiscient
I wanted to say position 518 is more subtle because it is not random and that is why we like to play it.

You could call the actual set up of classical chess contingent, but you can hardly call it arbitrary.

Bishops are very well placed, knights are very well placed, rooks could reach 14 squares from anywhere, so they are perfect corner stones. The strongest and the most important pieces are in the center. The pawns shield. There is meaning to chess expressing itself in the set up.

The pieces are well organized and what is to be discovered is to be found and brought about by you. If we want to repeat and play the same openings over and over again, normally for the sake of success, that is our problem. It isn't a limitation set by the normal starting position.

I think you’re romanticizing the names of the pieces a bit. SP518 is not the most balanced or imbalanced position. SP518 gives +0.3 for white. There are 960 positions that give the same advantage for white, some slightly more, and others slightly less.

So besides romanticizing the names of the pieces, what is so special about SP518?

The awkwardness of some positions is actually a benefit. You get to solve logistical problems to build a good position instead of just starting with one you’re already familiar with.

Just played my first 960 game, and it was a ton of fun. Towards the middle game, it transmutated towards a familiar set-up.

@ProgrammerAngrim said in #7:

They play it because it is comfortable and familiar, gradually leading into unfamiliar territory instead of a sudden shock of starting in a new position.

That makes sense, but it also seems a bit lazy. Like players who only want to start thinking after playing 10-15 moves, maybe in a simpler position. Or one they’ve played over and over again.