[oreilles]

Chesss960 doesn't have "slightly different rules" than chess, it's a variant where all the pieces are randomnly positioned at the start of each match... It's basically playing a completely different game, and one the FIDE has absolutely zero interest in. Freestyle and FIDE organization are not in competition.

[david-gpu]

> Chesss960 doesn't have "slightly different rules" than chess, it's a variant where all the pieces are randomnly positioned at the start of each match

For the 99% people who don't know what it is, I figured than "slightly different rules" was a reasonable summary.

> Freestyle and FIDE organization are not in competition.

You may want to ask yourself why FIDE is acting like they are indeed in competition. Perhaps they see something that you don't? Several top players getting behind Freestyle chess probably has something to do with it.

[Scarblac]

FIDE has organized its own Chess 960 championships in the past, and organising championships is how FIDE makes money. It's direct competition.

(Freestyle chess, Chess 960 and Fischer Random are names for the same game)

[clhodapp]

Given that the starting layout of the pieces and the movement rules of the pieces are the first things memorized by new chess players, that feels more than slightly different, even to this chess novice

[8note]

you could compare it to say, Football, either football, and see that its almost the exact same game.

is there a game thats closer to fisher random than chess? checkers? pokemon the card game?

fisher random has the same pieces that move the same way, and at least half the pieces have same starting position as chess (the pawns)

if you compare to say, duck chess, only the opening of fisher random is different, and i imagine sometimes its the same? in duck chess, the openings, midgames, endgames and tactics are all different, whereas in fisher random, the midgames, endgames, and tactics are the same as in chess. fisher random is a superset of chess, and not by much.

engine chess is still considered chess, and similar to fisher random, the pieces and pawns start in different places than they do in chess

[david-gpu]

The similarity is even more patently obvious given the fact that the top freestyle chess players are, unsurprisingly, the top chess players.

That is because the only rules that are updated are the position of the pieces in the back row, and castling.

It's a bit like painting with oils or acrylics.

[8note]

i think its more similar than oils va acrylics. more like painint with acrylics either on a bleached canvas or an unbleached canvas

[wongarsu]

Would a chess novice still recognize the difference in the midgame or endgame?

To me it seems like mostly the same game, just without the ability to study and memorize openings (the most tedious part of chess)

[onion2k]

Freestyle and FIDE organization are not in competition.

They're competing for the time and attention of the players. If there are two competitions on the same day, players will have to choose which competition to play in. That in itself will determine where the sponsorship money goes unless they can agree not to put events on at the same time. They won't do that because it isn't in either group's interest.

[sobriquet9]

If it is a completely different game, why are all strongest players the same?

[swiftcoder]

FIDE did run a tournament in the variant as recently as 2019[1]

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIDE_World_Fischer_Random_Ches...