It’s been over 25 years since Bobby Fischer introduced Chess960, and it keeps proving that creativity still matters more than memorized openings. Many top players have supported it over the years, and lately it’s become a real part of top-level chess again.
In October 2025, Kasparov and Anand played the Clutch Chess | The Legends match using the 960 format. They played twelve rapid and blitz games with a “clutch” scoring system, and Kasparov won 13 -11. Each day started from a different random setup (#635, #952, and #294), which made every game fresh and unpredictable.
Why it matters?
- Even legends like Kasparov and Anand treat it seriously.
- It’s all about thinking, not memorizing.
- It’s more exciting for fans and players alike.
The new Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour also shows how far 960 has come, with events in Weissenhaus, Paris, Karlsruhe, Las Vegas, and Cape Town. In Las Vegas, Levon Aronian won against Hans Niemann, and Praggnanandhaa even beat Magnus Carlsen in one of the most talked-about games of the year.
This time for real!
I think the growth of Chess960 has always been steady rather than sudden. It never really disappeared; it’s just that every few years, a big event or a famous player brings it back into the spotlight. What’s happening now with Kasparov, Anand, and the Freestyle Tour is just another one of those moments where people notice it again. 960 has been quietly evolving all this time, and it keeps finding new supporters who appreciate its freedom and unpredictability.
From a recent interview with ChessBase co-founder Matthias Wüllenweber:
If I understand correctly, many of the 960 positions either result in an immediate loss or are very sharp. This would make them ideal for opening analysis and, in theory, it would probably be possible to defeat most of them completely. It would be a fun project, but it would probably completely miss the mark for our target audience.
I totally agree. What will really make a difference is if players like Kasparov and Carlsen keep pushing for new competitive formats, and if FIDE itself gets involved in promoting them. Sponsors are a big part of that too, because without proper funding it’s hard to keep these events consistent. I honestly hope Chess960 gets included one day in the Total Chess World Championship Tour. It deserves that kind of stage.
960 is great. Yet, I hope we all agree, it should never (and I doubt that it will) REPLACE the chess rules bequeathed to us from as far back as Columbus sailed to not-Asia.
Opening preparation -- frequently bemoaned -- is actually a fine part of the game. It helps to make chess a SCHOLARLY activity and not merely the domain of unusual natural talent.
Not all can visualize a chess board clearly, many moves ahead -- and I'm still awaiting reliable, disinterested certainty that such "skill" -- if not largely present in childhood -- can be significantly "developed" by mere practice. Improved? A bit. But created from no reasonable start? I'm not so sure.
Yet anyone can diligently prepare his or her openings, and by dint of hard work, if not obsession, manage to get all the way to the middlegame before getting destroyed by some calculating wizard who can run through "lines" mentally at high speed.
And shouldn't everyone have at least THAT much comfort? I say "yes." On behalf of the Hippopotamus, the Sicilian and whatever-the-hell-it-is that I play with the white pieces.
On the other hand, let me repeat: 960 IS good. Too. But not "to the exclusion of classical."
Let them both flourish, forever and ever. And let both be played on Lichess, even in the year 2125. In New Liverpool, the capital of the Martian Federation. Where the finest Low-Gravity Football will be played.
Chess960 and the incremental clock. Those 2 are great ideas by Mr Robert James Fischer.
I’ve really enjoyed reading all the points here. It’s great to see how people view Chess960 from so many angles. To me, what stands out most is how much it teaches about thinking rather than memorizing. It pushes players to find ideas over the board instead of repeating old lines, and that’s something modern chess really needs.
I also agree with what others mentioned about visibility and sponsorships. The Freestyle Tour and the Kasparov and Anand match show how powerful this format can be when top players get involved. Beyond competition, I think 960 could be an amazing tool for training, especially for younger players who are still learning coordination and planning from first principles.
Has anyone here used Chess960 as part of their coaching or study routine? I’d be curious to know how it changes the way you think about the game.
Another thing I really love about Chess960/FRC is that the castling takes on an epic tactical consideration. No more just doing it because that is how the book says to do it. Instead you can castle early, late, long, short, not at all or castle by hand.
If there was one thing I'd ask a computer about a 960 starting position it would be "Which way should I castle?". I've gotten into a lot of trouble castling early when I first started playing 960. Old habit LOL. Now every move by your opponent or yourself can change your decision.
I think that was the true genius of 960.
@lizani said in #4:
> From a recent interview with ChessBase co-founder Matthias Wüllenweber:
> If I understand correctly, many of the 960 positions either result in an immediate loss or are very sharp. This would make them ideal for opening analysis and, in theory, it would probably be possible to defeat most of them completely. It would be a fun project, but it would probably completely miss the mark for our target audience.
They've looked into this and it isn't that bad. The 534 position (classical) is about a 0.26 advantage for white. Some 960 positions go as high as 0.42 if I remember correctly.
The article was on lichess a while back.