Chess and Science Fiction: How do you imagine chess 100 years from now?

@HerkyHawkeye said in #18:

The Firm’s Ministry of Order is authorized to search and confiscate all unapproved property. Upon returning from a galactic mining tour, all workers are to be examined for possible contamination. Worker Unit #2125-000437 hurried hides the remnant of The Old Earth document. Unsure of what he is concealing, one thing is known: Worker #2125-000437 faces certain termination for a violation of the Terms of Service. One does not hide property from The Ministry of Order.

In the shadows of the decrepit mining sectors, Worker Unit #2125-000437 realizes the truth: the fragment he hides is not merely a document — it is memory itself. The Ministry of Order has erased countless histories, but this forgotten artifact resists oblivion.

Hunted, alone, and branded a traitor, #2125-000437 begins to reconstruct the Game in secret, piece by piece. Each move he deciphers becomes an act of defiance. Each new understanding, a silent war cry against a regime that fears the very notion of imagination.

And so, in a universe suffocated by control, the first pawn is moved... and the rebellion is born.

@Zane2007 said in #20:

Saying that chess won't change in 100 years because it hasn’t changed much before overlooks one key fact: the pace of change today is exponential, not linear.

In just two decades, online platforms, AI engines, and formats like bullet and Chess960 have already transformed the chess landscape — things unimaginable a century ago.

Artificial intelligence is not a fad like fidget spinners; it's already rewriting how humans live, work, and play — including how we study and understand chess at the highest levels.

If society evolves towards corporate sports, eco-driven lifestyles, and AI integration, expecting chess to remain static sounds more like wishful thinking than realism.

The board may stay 8x8, but the spirit, culture, and meaning of chess will inevitably evolve — whether we are ready for it or not.

These changes you mention were already being shaped 100 years ago: Hypermodernists were thinking about more random openings and a conception of chess based more on creativity and instinct than on analysis. As early as the 18th century, Philidor was playing games with one or several pieces in less. There were examples of piece reversals in the initial chess position very early on! Yes, it was Fischer who made the variants more popular, but there are examples as early as the 19th century!

Chess as we know it hasn't evolved radically since the 17th century. FIDE has only unified modern chess and buried local debates over rule differences. But since the principles of the game (objective of the game, notions of capture) haven't changed, I don't see why chess should evolve so quickly. Perhaps in 500 years, it will be different. but probably not in 100 years

AI will revolutionize human life ? I wouldn't say that AI has become the equivalent of fire, the wheel, or the internet. AI is supposed to be a tool that is and could be extremely useful in areas like archeology, medical research, and space exploration. Today, AI has become entertainment, not like the internet, but as a curiosity that anyone can use to replace human labor in a futile effort, because it's totally obvious what is AI and what is not. And this entertainment trend will pass and we (i.e., people who are not specialists or researchers in AI) risk returning to a stone age of AI, because there will be so much negativity because of the entertainment and laziness aspect, that in the end, only this specialized minority will still want to work on and improve the capabilities of AI. AI will be banned from schools like Spinners, in 5 years, everyone will have forgotten about Ghibli filters, lame clickbait videos and fake photos of famous actors. People will know how to recognize scammers who use AI and will no longer fall for them and scammers will have other alternatives. "Entertaining" AI is in its twilight. I would compare AI to eating insects. 10 years ago, all popular science books had a "future" section and you come across texts like :

• Insects will be the food of the future. By 2020-25, the majority of the world's population will be eating insects, and they will replace meat. -

There was a fad, some trials, and at that time, many TV shows talked about it with enthusiasm or disdain. And?

It hasn't changed. The trend has passed, and apart from specialists, most people have dismissed it as a utopia.

Humans don't often change things that work. 4-wheeled cars have been around for almost 150 years! And they are, in essence, just evolutions of the cart. For 150 years, artists, scientists, and people from all walks of life have imagined that we would have flying cars. Today we have models of these cars that work, but there is so much legislation in place or to be done that these vehicles will not go beyond the stage of curiosity or extremely expensive and rare products.

That's what I think, AI will have the same fate.

@Mrchess78 said in #10:

I won't need to imagine it, I intend to still be here. :).

:D

Within 10 years you'll be able to download being a Grandmaster for a day for $9.99 and Chess will die

Within 100 years Global Warming will turn us all back to cavemen and a Chess board will be the most valuable commodity on Earth

@CSKA_Moscou said in #22:

These changes you mention were already being shaped 100 years ago: Hypermodernists were thinking about more random openings and a conception of chess based more on creativity and instinct than on analysis. As early as the 18th century, Philidor was playing games with one or several pieces in less. There were examples of piece reversals in the initial chess position very early on! Yes, it was Fischer who made the variants more popular, but there are examples as early as the 19th century!

Chess as we know it hasn't evolved radically since the 17th century. FIDE has only unified modern chess and buried local debates over rule differences. But since the principles of the game (objective of the game, notions of capture) haven't changed, I don't see why chess should evolve so quickly. Perhaps in 500 years, it will be different. but probably not in 100 years

AI will revolutionize human life ? I wouldn't say that AI has become the equivalent of fire, the wheel, or the internet. AI is supposed to be a tool that is and could be extremely useful in areas like archeology, medical research, and space exploration. Today, AI has become entertainment, not like the internet, but as a curiosity that anyone can use to replace human labor in a futile effort, because it's totally obvious what is AI and what is not. And this entertainment trend will pass and we (i.e., people who are not specialists or researchers in AI) risk returning to a stone age of AI, because there will be so much negativity because of the entertainment and laziness aspect, that in the end, only this specialized minority will still want to work on and improve the capabilities of AI. AI will be banned from schools like Spinners, in 5 years, everyone will have forgotten about Ghibli filters, lame clickbait videos and fake photos of famous actors. People will know how to recognize scammers who use AI and will no longer fall for them and scammers will have other alternatives. "Entertaining" AI is in its twilight. I would compare AI to eating insects. 10 years ago, all popular science books had a "future" section and you come across texts like :

• Insects will be the food of the future. By 2020-25, the majority of the world's population will be eating insects, and they will replace meat. -

There was a fad, some trials, and at that time, many TV shows talked about it with enthusiasm or disdain. And?

It hasn't changed. The trend has passed, and apart from specialists, most people have dismissed it as a utopia.

Humans don't often change things that work. 4-wheeled cars have been around for almost 150 years! And they are, in essence, just evolutions of the cart. For 150 years, artists, scientists, and people from all walks of life have imagined that we would have flying cars. Today we have models of these cars that work, but there is so much legislation in place or to be done that these vehicles will not go beyond the stage of curiosity or extremely expensive and rare products.

That's what I think, AI will have the same fate.

Thank you, CSKA_Moscou, for keeping the discussion alive.
Even when our arguments take us in opposite directions, the exchange of ideas is always valuable — especially when it’s thoughtful and well-articulated, as yours is.

That said, I believe your perspective underestimates the scale and speed of transformation we’re already witnessing.

Yes, chess hasn’t radically changed in its rules since the 17th century — but it has absolutely evolved in its practice, culture, and meaning. A player from 1925 transported to a modern Lichess blitz arena, facing an AI-trained teenager from across the globe in a 1-minute game, would feel more disoriented than nostalgic. The rise of online platforms, AI engines, streaming culture, and even memes have redefined the chess experience for millions.

As for artificial intelligence, comparing it to eating insects or fidget spinners misses a critical distinction: AI is not a single product or passing trend, but a foundational technology that’s actively shaping global industries, education, science, communication, and — yes — entertainment. The fact that AI tools are used playfully does not make them trivial. After all, the internet began with academic networks, then bloomed into memes, e-commerce, political movements, and more.

It’s not just that “AI is a tool.” The more accurate view is: AI is a toolkit, and it’s growing rapidly.
Today’s playful experiments are tomorrow’s infrastructure.

And when it comes to chess? Even if the rules don't change, the way humans approach the game, learn it, and emotionally connect with it will. That’s change — deep, cultural, and irreversible.

In 2125, the chess games will be telekinetic, with players battling in large mental online arenas, from immense thrones at the edge of the field. Chat members will physically occupy the stands. When a player falls in combat, a member of the crowd can replace them in the arena. Bets will take center stage and will be taken at each match.
The games will be played in 960, the game mode will be Kung Fu (no turns), and each capture will feature a spectacular finish that will destroy the opposing piece. In the event of checkmate or resignation, the loser will be held captive in their seat, which will then rush toward the crowd, to be pelted with tomatoes and eggs. The room will then be disconnected (a countdown will warn of its closure), and everyone will return to reality, in their anti-radiation pods.

Stockfish 97 after 100 years will be crazy ngl

I think chess will be solved so we will pass to freestyle chess