"Why does white always go first in chess?" Topic

"The recent protests over racism have rekindled a longstanding discussion about whether chess promotes white privilege with its rule that the first move always goes to the player with the white pieces. In this Q&A, Daaim Shabazz, an international business professor and chess journalist, offers insight into whether there's any merit to the idea that the rule is meant to uphold white privilege.

Johann Löwenthal, a British master, put forth one of the first proposals of record to give white the obligatory first move. At the First American Chess Congress, held in New York in 1857, Löwenthal sent two letters to the secretary of the New York Chess Club, Frederick Perrin.

On page 84 of the congress's proceedings, it refers to one of the letters by citing "the advisableness of always giving the first move, in published games, to the player of the white pieces…" This rule was not immediately adopted, and tournament organizers maintained flexibility on the first move. In the Fifth American Chess Congress in 1880, it was written on page 164 of the Code of Chess Laws, "The right of first move must be determined by lot. The player must always play with the white men."…"
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Amicalement
Armand

First move should be awarded to the best 2 out of 3 in arm wrestling…

Where is that asteroid when we need it?

Who goes first in Chinese Checkers?

This is ridiculous .

This topic is certainly on the right board – utter drivel. In some peeps small brains, everything has to be racist.

Ask the Persians, they played it long before we did

Camping is now racist, too, but that's another story.

Can't trust whittie.

Oh good lord. Some people have way too much time on their hands.

Racism wasn't even a thing when chess was invented.

Didn't Westly Snipes say, "Always bet on black." Wait … he was not talking about chess though. 🤔

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Racism wasn't even a thing when chess was invented.

Well, America wasn't a thing when chess was invented, so racism as experienced in America wasn't a thing.

Chess was developed about 1,500 years ago in India. I don't know enough about the period to have an understanding of whether the term "racism" has any application.

Black moves first in checkers. Is that racist?

Okay. Easy solution. Paint one side blue. The other side green. Blue goes first. There. Solved.

However, if you shade and properly highlight the green, you can go first on Tuesdays in even numbered months every leap year.

…unless the yellow Caution flag is out. In that case, Blue and Green have a face-off at center ice; the winner elects to kick or receive, and the loser is assessed a technical foul. But if the game is already at deuce, then the mid-off is yellow-carded and the hooker gets a penalty shot to try and pick up the spare.

If that seems ridiculous, it's no worse than the premise of this post. What ever happened to MLK's dream of a color-blind society?

Make all the pieces clear. That should make for fun games… ;-)

SERIOUSLY?!?!

…unless the yellow Caution flag is out. In that case, Blue and Green have a face-off at center ice; the winner elects to kick or receive, and the loser is assessed a technical foul. But if the game is already at deuce, then the mid-off is yellow-carded and the hooker gets a penalty shot to try and pick up the spare

Works for me!!

What ever happened to MLK's dream of a color-blind society?

Answer: political parties and Useful Idiots

The best way to determine who goes first is dueling pistols at three feet. One shot – game over.

Wolfhag

My chess set is moulded in resin representing the court and army of Louis XIV. One side is a cream colour, the other side is a deep red. Will Martians everywhere be offended if the cream side always goes first?

Wolf +1

They make full color chess sets, e.g. AWI, ACW, even political parties, etc. … 😧

von Schwartz,
Very good, I had to read it twice to get it, kind of slow on my end. You got 9 games into that!

Wolfhag

How does that go in Chess Boxing?
YouTube link

Anyway, chess is a kid's game. I wouldn't waste my time. On Beta Antares Four, they play a real game. It's a man's game. The name of the game is called fizzbin.

Wolfhag, von Schwartz was quoting me (look a couple of posts higher). I wish I'd thought of the "fizzbin" angle.

Cke1st,
My apologies, I stand corrected.

Wolfhag

Easy enough, if initially unsettling, to use blue and red, like a plastic Draughts/Checkers set I once had. When a disc advanced to the back rank, and was "crowned", would that have been a sort-of "friendly fire" incident? Red and white, I think, were the usual colours in nineteenth-century Britain, but I didn't make a note of it and have therefore probably forgotten. On the other hand, weren't the Lewis pieces all of the one colour, Ivory, the opposing sides being distinguished by patterns?

On Beta Antares Four, they play a real game. It's a man's game. The name of the game is called fizzbin.

Very true … but isn't it only on Tuesday and in the rain ?