Freestyle Chess / Chess 960 / Fischer Random Chess

Just posting my thoughts on the variation of the game.

I think it is a fun and interesting variant that preserves the dignity of the game. (Unlike say Duck Chess, Fairy Chess, Torpedo Chess, Atomic Chess, etc. which all seem nearly like jokes to the game. )

It seems like you might as well spin spinners, roll the dice, flip over a card, or whatever. Really silly stuff.

All that said, I am not saying that Freestyle chess is a flash in the pan. It is likely here to stay. The rationale is that opening theory has gotten so advanced that it is necessary to level the playing field.

My thoughts are there are two groups of people that this form of chess is most of interest-

1) The absolute top level Super GM's that all compete regularly against each other. It has been said that it is not longer possible for them to play the very best lines anymore and they have to constantly try novelties to keep each other off guard. I believe this, but it is mainly a problem for the top 1/10th of 1% of the players on the planet.

This is not a problem at all for most players rated between say 1400 - 2400.

2) The other group that I think is draw to this are the newbies that can find learning openings time consuming and tedious and they just want to play chess without worrying about all that.

This group probably represents the bottom 20% or so of chess players.

I think it would be very good for this group to study the old masters and learn the opening patterns and tactics that go along with it. In the long run, that will all help them be better players at any form of chess.

so in conclusion, my "thesis" is that the big push to Freestyle chess is really focused on the very best players in the world, and (for the most part) the weaker players and newbies.