I wonder if chess is a draw with less ranks

[Uri Blass]

I tried to analyze e3 g3 and Wasp claims mate in 11 for white after these moves

[pgn][Event "Computer chess game"]
[Site "DESKTOP-7QE6S12"]
[Date "2026.01.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "àåøé"]
[Black "àåøé"]
[Result "1-0"]
[BlackElo "2400"]
[Time "22:33:05"]
[WhiteElo "2400"]
[TimeControl "300+3"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "BBBBBBBB/BBBBBBBB/PPPPPPPP/rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQ - 0 1"]
[Termination "normal"]
[PlyCount "23"]
[WhiteType "human"]
[BlackType "human"]

1. e3 g3 2. exf4+ Kxf4 3. d3+ Ke5 4. f4+ exf3 5. gxf3 Bxd3 6. f4+ Kf5 7.
Bh3+ Nxh3 8. Qxh5+ Ke4 9. Nd2+ Ke3 10. Nxc4+ Ke4 11. cxd3+ Kxd3 12. Qe2#
1-0
[/pgn]



I know it is not my position and it seems the site does not show it but it is possible to try to check if the same idea works without the pawns and bishops that I added that their target is to prvent black to go backward.

[pgn][Event "Computer chess game"]
[Site "DESKTOP-7QE6S12"]
[Date "2026.01.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "àåøé"]
[Black "àåøé"]
[Result "*"]
[BlackElo "2400"]
[Time "22:48:31"]
[WhiteElo "2400"]
[TimeControl "300+3"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/8/rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQ - 0 1"]
[Termination "normal"]
[PlyCount "23"]
[WhiteType "human"]
[BlackType "human"]

1. e3 g3 2. exf4+ Kxf4 3. d3+ Ke5 4. f4+ exf3 5. gxf3 Bxd3 6. f4+ Kf5 7.
Bh3+ Nxh3 8. Qxh5+ Ke4 9. Nd2+ Ke3 10. Nxc4+ Ke4 11. cxd3+ Kxd3 12. Qe2# *[/pgn]

Now except Bd3 the only way to prvent fast mate are Bh3 Be4 Bg4 Qe4+ Qxf3 Nh3 Nxf3 cxd3
I checked that after 6.f4+ the same line works only in a smaller board

[lkaufman]

A different but related question that I find interesting and potentially important, is this: What is the smallest rule change from standard chess that would put the result near the win-draw line, so that with Armageddon rule it would be fully playable for the best engines? We determined some years ago that "Black cannot castle short" is near that line; also "White plays first with 1.e4 on the board" is fairly near the line, though probably on the draw side. "Black must avoid repetition" might also be near the line, though that is harder to test and I know of no data. Many other options are possible, not all are easy to evaluate.

part of the options that you give are simply changing the initial position and not changing the rules so engines can play it.

If we talk about changing the rules.
For black must avoid repetition we need to change chess engines to know repetition is a loss for black and I guess that black can draw by stalemate or by fifty move rule.

Other options of changing the target of the game without changing the intial position may be that white is winning by mate or by something else.
Examples:mate or promote a pawn.
If it is still a draw maybe mate or push a pawn to the 7th and if it is still a draw maybe mate or push a pawn to the 6th.

Mate or capturing the oppoent queen and rooks so black need to draw but also not to allow trades of too many pieces.

White win by mate or push a specific piece to specific square( a lot of options and I do not know what will be 50%)
I think that we need engines tthat allow us to change the target of the game to test it.

The rule change should be something that would make sense to chess players, not change the game too much from the goal of catching the king. Obviously making stalemate a win is logical but not sufficient. Similarly making endgames like King and minor vs king a win make some sense since at least one side can theoretically stalemate the other against bad play. But these two are still not sufficient to make the game close to a win. Making rep a win for White might be fair but doesn't seem quite like normal chess; better to forbid reps by some rule, but then fifty move rule would surely still leave Black winning, so maybe with fifty move rule adjudicated by some simple rules (material, possibly pawn advancement, the rules must only involve material and pawn advancement to be consistent with fifty move rule) the game could be almost totally fair with Armageddon rule. We would need a suitable strong engine to prove so.