Jennifer Shahade

How to play chess like a grandmaster | The Economist

Jennifer Shahade, Alok Jha

This analysis positions chess as a rigorous framework for human cognition, illustrating how expert players balance intuitive pattern recognition with deliberative calculation across the game's three distinct phases. The discussion highlights how modern AI engines, which prioritize probabilistic outcomes over traditional material evaluation, have paradoxically driven human players toward more aggressive and creative styles rather than rendering the game obsolete. Ultimately, the enduring surge in chess popularity despite AI dominance serves as a resilient precedent for human adaptation in an increasingly automated landscape.