[Event "Antichess: Road to 2000+: FAQ"] [Date "2019.03.10"] [Result "*"] [Variant "Antichess"] [ECO "?"] [Opening "?"] [StudyName "Antichess: Road to 2000+"] [ChapterName "FAQ"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/4XBZbCFY/bBohiIrg"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/anti-bot"] [FEN "3k4/8/K7/8/N7/5B2/8/8 w - - 0 1"] [SetUp "1"] [UTCDate "2019.03.10"] [UTCTime "16:02:50"] [Orientation "white"] { 1. Who is this study for? — For people with any rating who know the Antichess rules and how the chess pieces move. Make sure you know the “en passant” and “fifty-move” rules, otherwise google them. Google "chess notation" if you don’t understand what "1.e4?? b5!" means. } 1. Be2 { 2. My chess rating is very low. Is it possible to reach 2000 in Antichess? — Yes. It’s much easier than 2000 in Chess. Many strong Antichess players have their chess rating in the range from 1000 to 1300. } 1... Ke7 { 3. I heard Antichess is solved. Isn’t it too boring to play the variant when Black can’t win? — There is a proof that Antichess is a win for White with 1.e3. However, you should memorize the right moves for about 900 million positions. If you think this is enough, you’re wrong. Yes, most of those “right moves” lead to a win (sometimes more than 100 moves are required). However… } 2. Nc3!! { the only move! } 2... Kf6 { However, there are a few lines leading to positions in which only 4 pieces are left. You are supposed to know how to win in those positions. Do you know how to win in this particular position? … You are not alone, even the best Antichess players will hardly win in this position, playing against Stockfish (remember the fifty-move rule!). Scroll down the solution. } 3. Kb5!! { again, the only move! } 3... Kg5 4. Bc4 Kg6 5. Bf1!! Kg5 6. Kc5 Kh4 7. Bc4 Kg4 8. Ba2 Kh4 9. Kd6 Kg3 10. Ke7 Kg4 11. Kf7 Kh4 12. Ke6 Kg3 13. Kf6 Kg2 14. Nb5 Kh3 15. Nd6 Kg3 16. Bf7 Kg2 17. Ke5 Kf2 18. Bg8 Ke2 19. Nb5 Kd1 20. Ke4 Ke1 21. Kd4 Kd1 22. Na7 Kc1 23. Bc4 Kd1 24. Be6 Kc1 25. Nc6 Kb1 26. Bd7!! Kc1 27. Be8 Kd1 28. Bf7 Ke1 29. Bg6 Kf1 30. Ne5 Kg1 31. Kd3 Kh1 32. Ke2 Kh2 33. Bb1 Kh1 34. Bf5 Kg1 35. Kf2 { 4. Why then do strong players not like to play with Black pieces? — From Watkins’s solution http://magma.maths.usyd.edu.au/~watkins/LOSING_CHESS/WEB/browse.php?e2e3 , White can always learn the right move in a particular position, and Black is then forced to look for another sequence of moves in which White doesn’t know how to play. } 35... Kxf2 { Moreover, strong players do not need to memorize all 900 million positions. They only need to remember the sequence leading up to the position they know how to convert to a win. } 36. Nf3 { 5. So, are White pieces preferred? — Absolutely if you are a 2300+ player. However, let’s look at the Antichess World Championship 2018. In the match for the crown, two finalists played 40 games. What percentage of White wins do you think was there? 95%, 92%, 90%? } 36... Kxf3 { Wrong! White won 53% of games… } 37. Bg4 { If you’re interested, Black won 38% of games. The rest was drawn. } 37... Kxg4# { This is the fastest (most optimal) win possible from the starting position! } *