How Chess Has Changed Over The Last 150 Years
The history of chess dates back 1500 years, but it wasn't until the introduction of competitive chess in 1834 that the rules were solidified. Since that time, players of all calibers have diligently worked to find new and better ways of winning.
Evolving Styles
During the Romantic Era, gameplay was characterised by daring attacks, tricks, surprises, and clever combinations and sacrifices. As noted by David Shenk in The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, style was more important than winning. But in an era when chess was still not very well understood — it is a game that features trillions upon trillions of possibilities after all — players didn't know any better.
The Romantic style of chess also fit in very nicely with the general weltanschauungen of the time. But this sensibility would change after the First World War.
During the 1920s and 1930s, players adopted more scientific and logical approaches to chess, including hypermodernism — a strategy that, similar to the evolving tactics of WWI, required players to question conventional approaches. And this, in turn, changed how players opened the game. They still agreed it was vital to control the center of the board, but they insisted this could be accomplished in ways other than moving the King's or Queen's pawn forward
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