Fairer Chess: A Reversal of Two Opening Moves in Chess Creates Balance Between White and Black

Unlike tic-tac-toe or checkers, in which optimal play leads to a draw, it is\nnot known whether optimal play in chess ends in a win for White, a win for\nBlack, or a draw. But after White moves first in chess, if Black has a double\nmove followed by a double move of White and then alternating play, play is more\nbalanced because White does not always tie or lead in moves. Symbolically,\nBalanced Alternation gives the following move sequence: After White's (W)\ninitial move, first Black (B) and then White each have two moves in a row\n(BBWW), followed by the alternating sequence, beginning with W, which\naltogether can be written as WB/BW/WB/WB/WB... (the slashes separate\nalternating pairs of moves). Except for reversal of the 3rd and 4th moves from\nWB to BW, this is the standard chess sequence. Because Balanced Alternation\nlies between the standard sequence, which favors White, and a comparable\nsequence that favors Black, it is highly likely to produce a draw with optimal\nplay, rendering chess fairer. This conclusion is supported by a computer\nanalysis of chess openings and how they would play out under Balanced\nAlternation.\n