Aren't the shared concepts simply predicated on 'the rules of chess'? No surprise that an algorithm and a 'rational actor' share similar themes when both are constrained by the same rules.
> the concept of material isn't found in the rules
It's not spelled out directly, but it is a pretty low-hanging fruit.
After all, the rules dictate that the number of pieces on the board never increases. The rules also dictate the different kinds of moves allowed by each piece. Together it seems to me those rules invariably lead to pieces not having the same value, aka the concept of material.