AT various times during the history of chess the game’s enthusiasts have feared that their pastime was becoming “played out” — the top players were getting too good, and the mysteries were too close to being solved. Most notably Jose Raul Capablanca, the great champion of the 1920s, advocated moving to a 10x8 board and adding chancellors and archbishops. This complicated game never caught on, and subsequent developments, in which the world’s masters discovered many new strategic ideas, have suggested that it is probably redundant.

A more recent concern, shared by masters and club players, is that opening theory is now so deep that it is difficult to compete without memorising many long and complicated variations — not only is this tedious and time-consuming, but some of us simply can’t do it!

The American world champion Bobby Fischer (himself an influential openings theorist) was concerned by this problem 30 years ago, and proposed “shuffle chess”, in which the positions of the pieces on the back rank were decided before the game by a random process, subject to certain rules. Similar white and black pieces still face each other, each side has a bishop on each colour of square, and the kings must have one rook to either side. The variant has become known as 960 chess, this being the number of possible starting positions.

Chess players are a conservative bunch, and this well-motivated version of the game has not exactly taken over, but it is occasionally seen in serious competition, most notably at the major chess festival held every August in the German city of Mainz.

The 2006 edition has attracted several of the world’s best players, competing in a variety of events under both traditional and 960 rules. The Indian star Vishy Anand is there to defend his (traditional) rapidplay title, which he has held for the past four years, against the talented Azeri teenager Teimour Radjabov (pictured<$>).

As a way of warming up for this tough eight-game match, Radjabov played two 960 games against the powerful computer program Shredder. He lost both, and the first should serve a warning of just how strong these things have become — remember, “Radja” is in the world’s top 20, and sensationally beat Garry Kasparov a couple of years ago.

White: T. Radjabov

Black: Shredder

1. Nf3, e5 2. e4, b5

Shredder is taking a very direct approach to this form of the game, pushing the pawns supported by its rooks.

3. c4, Nf6 4. Qc2

Don’t forget that the e4 pawn was attacked by the bishop hiding in the corner.

bxc4 5. Bxc4, Rb6

See Diagram 2, the position looks strange but is recognisable as a game of chess.

6.b3

No doubt Radjabov would have liked to “castle kingside” here, but unfortunately this would have entailed moving not just the king to g1 but also the rook to f1, leaving the e4 pawn undefended. d5!?

Fearless play from the computer (of course!)

7. exd5, Bxd5 8. Nxe5

Perhaps taking with the rook might have turned out better.

Ba3+ 9. Bb2, Bxc4 10. Qxc4, Ng6

In Diagram 3 White is a pawn up and at first glance doesn’t seem to be in too much trouble, but the more closely you look at his position the worse it gets.

11. d4

There’s nothing better.

Bb4 12.Rd1

White was not permitted to “castle through check”.

Ne4 13. Kc2

The natural 13. Nf3 was well met by 13. . . . Nh4!

Nd2 14. Nf7?

Playing to the gallery, since he knew he was lost anyway.

Nxc4 15. Nxd8, Re2+ 16. Kd3, Nf4++

Diagram 4 ischeckmate.