supporting the quip "the hardest game is to win is a won game"

Not surprised at end re classical position not being the most even configuration. In that configuration bishops & knights practically start aimed at controlling center, so there's little awkward properties to dampen White's initiative. One of the rooks even get to castle out of the corner

Chess960 would be better if they just got rid of castling in it, tho wouldn't be surprised if that makes for certain positions getting even worse for Black

See also https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26066844 for thought on game theory of strategy when playing perfect is computationally infeasible

> \#198 (\texttt{QNBRKBNR})is the most balanced, with both evaluation and asymmetry near zero... Remarkably, the classical starting position-despite centuries of cultural selection-lies far from the most balanced configuration.

In reality it’s almost the other way around. Because white usually has several good moves at every point, they can just memorize one of them, while black needs to memorize how they’ll respond to every good move white could make.

It turns normally-sound opening moves like 1.d4 and 1.e4 into liabilities and emphasizes the knights as blocking material to occupy squares like d2 and e2 , but the tradeoff is that a early-developed bishop can get a lot more active centrally via an open wing.

Such a layout makes for a very cautious opening phase where neither side really feels comfortable giving up much material. Really a fascinating setup.

1. Morphy vs. Duke of Brunswick (The Opera Game)

https://lichess.org/study/xAo78qLb/truC6WoM

16. Qb8+.

This is viewed as Morphy doing a stylish Queen sacrifice

But if you look at the MultiPV:

Qb8+* leads to forced mate.

Qc3 or Qb7 drops the advantage significantly.

Qb5 actually allows equality

If he had played anything else, he would have been imprecise. It wasn't a gamble

2. D. Byrne vs. Fischer (Game of the Century)

https://lichess.org/study/UZlSqSLA/Ku9M59je

Fischer plays 17... Be6, leaving his Queen hanging.

Standard narrative: "Fischer offers his Queen for a mating attack!"

Engine reality: 17... Be6 is the correct move. Trying to save the Queen actually loses the advantage.

Byrne taking the Queen (18. Bxb6) was a massive blunder. The engine actually wants Byrne to ignore the Queen and trade off Fischer's Knight on c3. He ends up with a Queen stranded on a3, a total spectator

Right, balance would be one of many parameters that make a game popular. Complexity is even a positive aspect of a game, a simple game with a simple optimal strategy would not be the most popular.

Simplicity of rules is another parameter, the classical configuration is somewhat symmetrical on the Queen King axis, many candidates would provide a rather asymmetrical and hard to remember initial configuration.