Long-Awaited "Chess 2" Beta set to launch, full release on next-gen consoles and PC in 2024 | FIDE Game Division
The 64 Squares finds a new home, moving forward from its primitive board-and-piece design to a fresh experience on analog sticks and mouse and keyboard. FIDE's secretive Game Division has finally announced a sequel, Chess 2, built on brand new mechanics, all new pieces, and abilities. Gary Chess b.k.a 'Kasparov', the inventor of Chess 1, spoke out on essential bug fixes on pawn movement and the removal of strange glitches from its predecessor, such as the London System. "We're thrilled to be bringing an all-new angle to the competitive E-Sports scene and provide fans with a sequel that builds on ideas from the original with state-of-the-art improvements," he said, at a Press Conference on Thursday. More info can be found in the article below.
On 30th March 2023, history was made when the first release poster was unveiled to grand surprise by Mr. Chess himself. Immediately, nearly 83 grandmasters from around the world erupted in denial and rejection of the change. However, it was short-lived, as a bullet-pointed slide containing all the features was flashed on screen to much awe. Here are some of these features below:
An expansion of the playing field
“We all understand the balanced playing area in the historical 64 squares. But, as a good friend of mine, Fischer once said, it’s not enough. So, we have decided to make the ambitious upgrade to a 10x10 board that allows for two brand new pieces on the newly formed corners of the board – the Ship.”
This incredible innovation can move only forward one step at a time, however,
at any point in the game, it can capture material of the opponent directly
horizontally on the same rank while remaining on the same file. Oh, and any piece
that comes in contact with the front face of the Ship piece will be captured,
regardless of the color it belongs to. This brings us to our next Quality of
Life Change:
Equal Rights
Based on suggestions by famous rights activist Ms. Carol Khan, either the black or white side will randomly be determined to move first based on a coin toss to promote full equality, as is deserving of a game released in the 21st Century. This ensures the inclusion of both players giving them equal opportunities and chances that do not discriminate based on arbitrary piece colors. In fact, to cope with the reported company losses from worker strikes as a result of this, a new cosmetic system allows players to purchase ‘decals’ and customize their piece color and shapes to their fancy using their real, hard-earned income. This way, players can feel fully represented, and comfortable, and declare their identity.
New UI and Matchmaking System
It has always been a major concern of chess players that the strength of the players being matched in a tournament may feel unfair and undeserved, not to mention uneven. To fix this, a new matchmaking queue is in place that allows players to select a ‘role’ they would prefer to fill before engaging in battle. There are quite a few kits in place to keep the game fresh for players:
The Light Brigade - 8 Knights, a rank of pawns, and a King
The Steamroll – 4 rooks on the second rank alongside pawns on either side and a King
The Archerbishop – 6 Bishops, pawns, and a king
The Greek’s Gift – Two bishops, a knight, a queen, a king, and 3 pawns, fixed permanently on the center squares
The Bonaparte Classic – a king the size of a pawn with many incredible furious pawns occupying 2 ranks
The Jester – A singular king. Appears normal, yet no one knows what powers it has, not even the developers. “We’re too scared to check.”
Opening Fixes
Many would agree the existence of openings has spawned a declining interest in the early game, with memorizations of up to 20 moves for many book moves. Now, a simple removal of the most disliked community-voted openings has revived interest in the game. By which we mean, the London System has been completely removed, and playing it has been made a bannable offense, just for good measure. What an incredible change designed to increase the longevity of the game!
Battle pass
A wise man once said, “There is no such thing as stealing. It is simply a copy of ideas and complex creative processes that take a new shape in the eyes of the sculptor.” He was later revealed to have stolen the quote from his divorced wife and was given jail for life.
Taking inspiration from this, using practices that are commonplace in the industry today, a battle pass system has been implemented with tier lists that players can unlock with more victories and hours played. This is through in-game procedurally generated ‘objectives’ that lack all creativity and yet keep players playing for the dopamine rush. This has been made pay-to-access only, however, fear not free-to-players, you can unlock the first 10 ranks provided you have recommended the game to your friends, family, and dog alongside proof of car ownership, birth certificate, and bank details. You too can enjoy the fun!
And Finally...
As Mr. Chess said, “the beauty of chess lies not in its near-infinite outcomes, rather, in its complexity and distinct draw to players new and old, young and old.” It was very important to retain the essence of what made Chess 1 such a legendary title, and thus, in a stroke of genius, a brand-new game mode will be announced a month after release, one that has never been seen before. The game is stripped down to an 8x8 grid, with 16 pawns and pieces, and is played on wooden and plastic figurines on a checkered-table mat, with your anonymous opponent face-to-face in front of you. How ingenious and original!
Community Reaction:
On March 30th, Gary Chess made the following tweet which garnered 2M likes:
Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi simultaneously finalized his retirement from the game in a private, confidential phone call he requested not to be shared. Here are his words from the call:
"I just don't see the point...all those years of work, preparation, theory, for nothing. Chess Sir needs to correct his mistakes and revert to original way [sic]. I will not touch this game."
Seeing this, Indian Blundermaster Samay Raina posted a video on his Instagram Story showing his maxed-out account not even 3 hours after the beta release. 2 hours later, his account was permabanned for hacking and exploiting, which led to backlash from fans. His case has been taken to the next level, and Raina said in an interview he was invited to FIDE's Game Division HQ in Switzerland. He has not been heard from since.
We greatly anticipate its release and hope to see the change that we in the chess community believe in. It will be priced at $59.99, excluding Downloadable-Content worth $3,500, and slightly reduced regional pricing. Will you be purchasing Chess 2? Let us know in the comments down below.
We look forward to seeing you in the arena!