Without players, a chessboard is ornamental

When evidencing that games are dynamic systems, there’s no greater example than chess. For centuries, chess has been renowned as a game with a highly formal structure, with many objects that are assigned set attributes, and a very straightforward environment. This affords the premise of the evidence; that chess contains a formal system. However, a game of chess requires more than the formal bindings of play.

Players are an intrinsic component of chess, adding an experimental system to the brew. When looking at chess as an experimental system, the objects of the system change from the rigid board pieces, becoming players, while the attributes of objects becomes the player control. However, chess is far more abstract a system than an experimental system – chess has been defined by culture. Over centuries of play, chess has embedded itself within culture, so much so that culture around the game has developed, and the rules and methods of play have evolved over time.

Chess can be played in a number of different ways. It can be played in a formal setting, or an informal setting. If played in a formal setting, the rules are typically altered to include a timer, and more complex piece movements are legal. However, when played in a less formal setting, such as a player’s home environment, the system transmutes – the timed element of formal chess is typically abolished, and the more complex rules, such as castling as a king move, en passant, and pawn promotion, are generally seldom used.

Chess is not just the board and pieces lying on the table. The board is only a small part of a much greater system. Without the presence of abstract and cultural layers, chess is not a game.