- NEW!
by iwnit on July 31st, 2007
1) "The number of legal positions in chess is estimated to be between 10^43 and 10^50, with a game-tree complexity of approximately 10^123. The game-tree complexity of chess was first calculated by Claude Shannon as 10^120, a number known as the Shannon number. Typically an average position has thirty to forty possible moves, but there may be as few as zero (in the case of checkmate or stalemate) or as many as 218."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess
2) "Chess is infinite: There are 400 different positions after each player makes one move apiece. There are 72,084 positions after two moves apiece. There are 9+ million positions after three moves apiece. There are 288+ billion different possible positions after four moves apiece. There are more 40-move games on Level-1 than the number of electrons in our universe. There are more game-trees of Chess than the number of galaxies (100+ billion), and more openings, defences, gambits, etc. than the number of quarks in our universe! --Chesmayne"
Source and further information:
http://www.chess-poster.com/english/notes_and_facts/did_you_know.htm
3) Other interesting sources:
How many moves possible in chess:
http://forums.appleinsider.com/archive/index.php/t-12917.html
Chess Moves:
http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-47078.html
Maximum possible chess moves:
http://www.chessatwork.com/board/showthread.php?threadid=73646&page=2
by hijklmno on July 31st, 2007
According to an article on the BBC website there are a billion billion billion billion billion possible positions.
Article (about draughts/checkers) is here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6907018.stm
by Aly Motter on July 31st, 2007
uhm...who knows...
by wiztax on June 17th, 2010
The permutations cannot be infinite. There are 64 squares, 16 pawns, and 16 pieces, so it is not possible to have an infinite array of possibilites with a finite number of squares and objects. The number may be exceedingly large, but it cannot be infinite. Eventually, all of the possible permutations will be exhausted.
What is the highest rating ever achieved by somebody in chess?
by Jack wears love COAT on December 7th, 2007
| 1 person likes this
If you have a Mac and play chess on it, what is the best way to beat the computer?
by SarahintheDelta on July 20th, 2007
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How many possible moves are there in chess?
by Running, Fall Up on July 31st, 2007
| 2 people like this
Is it possible to checkmate with just a king and a knight against a king?
by Level 47 And Counting... on June 18th, 2008
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How do blind players play chess on a chessboard?
by milan ninchich on July 25th, 2005
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Comments
Great answser. I remember calculating the number for the first two moves myself and then struggling to do 3. Glad someone has already done it....
Note checkers or draughts has had all of its moves calculated...
by cambsman on October 20th, 2007
cambsman: thank you for your appreciation!
by iwnit on October 20th, 2007
No it isn't. "The game may be drawn if each player has made at least the last 50 consecutive moves without the movement of any pawn and without any capture. (See Article 9.3)" http://www.fide.com/component/handbook/?id=124&view=article
by JurgensJSchoeman on March 16th, 2011