The first-move advantage in chess refers to the inherent advantage of the player (called White) who makes the first move in chess. Chess players and theorists generally agree that White begins the game with some advantage. Statistics compiled since 1851 support this view, showing that White consistently wins slightly more often than Black, usually scoring between 53 and 56 percent. Chess players and theoreticians have debated whether, given perfect play by both sides, the game should end in a win for White or a draw. Since at least 1889, when World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz addressed the issue, the overwhelming consensus has been that a game of chess should end in a draw with best play. However, a few notable players have argued that White's advantage may be sufficient to win: Weaver Adams and Vsevolod Rauzer claimed that White is winning after the first move 1.e4, while Hans Berliner argued that 1.d4 may win for White. It is possible that computers will eventually resolve the debate by determining the correct outcome of a perfectly played game of chess. Since 1988, chess theorists have challenged previously well-established views about White's advantage. Grandmaster András Adorján wrote a series of successful books on the theme that "Black is OK!", arguing that the general perception that White has an advantage is founded more in psychology than reality.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1556:
Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer , one of the founders of Anglicanism, was burnt at the stake in Oxford, England for heresy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cranmer
1800:
Pius VII was crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_VII
1804:
The Napoleonic code, the French civil code established under Napoleon, entered into force. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_code
1960:
Police in Sharpeville, South Africa opened fire on a group of unarmed black demonstrators who were protesting pass laws, killing almost 70 people and wounding about 180 others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpeville_massacre
1989:
An article in Sports Illustrated alleged that Pete Rose, the Manager of the Cincinnati Reds, was involved in baseball gambling. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Rose
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
hematophagy (n): The practice, of some animals, of feeding on blood http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hematophagy
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
If Spring came but once in a century, instead of once a year, or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake, and not in silence, what wonder and expectation there would be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change! But now the silent succession suggests nothing but necessity. To most men only the cessation of the miracle would be miraculous and the perpetual exercise of God's power seems less wonderful than its withdrawal would be. --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow