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fourkingsacehigh
17-Feb-11, 07:07

automaticlly make only possible move and...
Has there been previous discussion on; [1] if only one move is possible, automatically make the move and [2] automatically make my selected move regardless of my opponent's next move? I know the latter may be a bit redundant but the prior would be a time saving 'no-brainer'

Good Day and Good Chess,
Max
Gameknot.com
17-Feb-11, 09:16

Both of the ideas have been suggested many times before (and discussed here too). The main reason why the first idea hasn't been implemented is because even if a player has only one possible move available to them, they are still entitled to use the time allotted for their move to think over the game, etc., which we can't just take away from them. Also, if your opponent only has one move available, simply set up a conditional move from your side, and voila, the same effect is achieved without robbing your opponent of their thinking time.

The second suggestion has a number of things going against it, both technical and logical: it is not possible to represent "any move" on the chess board; it is not possible to check or ensure the validity of the moves made after the "any move" (since you don't know which piece will be moved and where); it is plain risky — unless you are a grandmaster, you can simply be overlooking a clever response (or maybe even not so clever, just something you haven't thought of) that would require a completely different strategy. Is it really worth it saving a bit of time it takes to look over the move by your opponent when you risk losing the game altogether possibly, if they made a move you didn't consider? And if you do have a couple of moves you expect your opponent will make next, again, simply use the regular conditional moves for that...