Artificial - chess term
Artificial
Definition
In chess, “artificial” is an adjective used to describe ideas, plans, or move orders that are deliberately contrived rather than flowing “naturally” from standard principles. The most established usage is “artificial castling,” also known as “castling by hand,” where a player repositions the king and rook with separate moves to emulate a castled setup after formal castling is no longer legal. More broadly, players may call certain plans “artificial” when they are unusual, counterintuitive, or composition-like, yet justified by concrete calculation.
How It Is Used in Chess
- Artificial castling (castling by hand): When castling rights are lost (e.g., the king or rook has moved), a player may aim for the castled setup by moving the rook to the f-file and the king to g1 (for White) or moving the rook to f8 and the king to g8 (for Black). The result mimics the safety and coordination of kingside castling.
- Artificial move or plan: A maneuver that looks “unnatural” (for instance, retreating an active piece or making several king moves early) but serves a concrete purpose—defusing tactics, achieving a fortress, or provoking a weakness.
- Artificial move order: A deliberately non-standard opening sequence to steer the game into a desired structure while avoiding an opponent’s preparation (often a form of transposition).
- Artificial intelligence (AI): In modern chess discourse, “artificial” often appears in the context of computers and engines whose analysis uncovers strong but “artificial-looking” moves that humans might not consider at first glance.
Strategic Significance
- King safety without castling: Artificial castling preserves many benefits of castling—king shelter and rook activation—even after the right to castle is lost.
- Flexibility vs. principles: “Artificial” does not mean “bad.” Strong players routinely choose counterintuitive maneuvers if justified by concrete tactics or strategic aims.
- Move-order nuance: Artificial (contrived) move orders can sidestep dangerous theory, reach favorable transpositions, or induce inaccuracies from opponents.
- Engine-era insights: AI has normalized many once-“artificial” ideas (e.g., quiet prophylaxis, surprising piece retreats, or long king walks) by proving their objective soundness.
Examples
1) Artificial castling (by hand) for White: White moves the rook to f1 and then walks the king to g1 to mimic O-O after losing castling rights early.
Illustrative sequence (contrived but legal and instructive):
Goal: reach a structure with White king on g1 and rook on f1 after White has already moved the king.
Moves:
1. e4 e5 2. Ke2 Nf6 3. d3 d5 4. Nd2 Nc6 5. c3 Be7 6. Ke1 O-O 7. Be2 Be6 8. Ngf3 Qd7 9. Rf1 Rad8 10. Kf1 h6 11. Kg1
Now the white king stands on g1 and the rook on f1—effectively “castled” by hand.
- Key idea: Clear f1 (move the f1-bishop), place the rook on f1 first, then guide the king to g1. Reversing the order often blocks the rook’s path (the king on g1 would obstruct Rh1–f1).
2) “Artificial” move order to reach a Catalan-like setup: White begins with flexible moves to avoid certain replies, then steers into a Catalan position.
Moves:
1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O
- Point: By starting with 1. Nf3, White can “artificially” shape the opening landscape, often avoiding specific anti-Catalan lines until development is favorable. This is a practical, not pejorative, use of “artificial.”
3) Artificial-looking resources validated by engines: Modern engines often endorse moves once dismissed as “too artificial”—for example, slow king walks, multi-move regroupings, or quiet defensive moves that set up a fortress. Many such ideas now appear in elite praxis after engine-assisted preparation.
Historical Notes and Anecdotes
- “Castling by hand” is old: The phrase and practice appear in 19th–20th century annotations; when the king’s early move or rook activation made castling impossible, masters still prioritized reaching a safe, “castled-like” setup.
- Kasparov vs. Deep Blue, 1997: The landmark match accelerated the integration of artificial intelligence in chess. Since then, many ideas that felt “artificial” to humans have entered mainstream theory thanks to engine validation.
- Practical wisdom: As Savielly Tartakower famously quipped, “A bad plan is better than no plan at all.” Even an “artificial” plan can be effective if it addresses the position’s concrete needs.
Practical Tips
- Artificial castling checklist: Clear the rook’s path to f1/f8; ensure the king’s route to g1/g8 is safe; use tempi-improving moves (like developing a piece with tempo) to minimize time loss.
- Judging artificial plans: Verify tactics; ensure the “unnatural” moves achieve a concrete goal (king safety, key square control, or a fortress) and do not fall behind in development without compensation.
- Move-order crafting: Use flexible starts (e.g., 1. Nf3, 1. g3) to “artificially” steer the game; keep an eye on transpositions and avoid move-order tricks from your opponent.