Here at NetBet, we’ve got a whole load of great markets for sports betting, and we offer some of the best Chess odds around. We don’t just take bets on individual matches, we offer online betting on plenty of deeper markets on our UK betting site. If you want to place any sport bet, here’s a quick guide on how exactly you should go about it.
What is Chess?
Chess is an incredibly simple, but almost equally complex, board game contested between two players. Played on an 8×8 board, chess is fundamentally a strategy based game in which no information is hidden. Each player begins a match in control of 16 pieces – each piece with differing roles and capabilities – with the aim of the game to checkmate the opponent’s king by rendering it unable to escape from imminent attack.
Although the king is the most important piece on the board, it is in no way the most versatile. The pawn is the most limited in terms of movement and can only move one square forward (or two from starting position); the knight moves in a ‘L’ shape; the bishop can move any number of squares diagonally, as long as uninterrupted; the rook can move freely vertically or horizontally but can not jump pieces; the queen can move any number of squares in any direction along a constant line; and the king can move to the squares immediately surrounding it.
There have been many successful and famed chess players over the centuries, but Magnus Carlsen is the current World Champion, and has been for nearly a decade. He is believed by many to be the greatest player of all time. The Norwegian was made a Grandmaster at the age of 13 after finishing in second place at the Dubai Open in 2004, and he became the second youngest World Champion in 2013. Now at 31 years old, there are doubts over whether Carlsen will continue his career, citing a lack of motivation to compete.
History of Chess
The ancient origins of chess remain largely obscured, but the earliest signs of the game we recognise today appeared as a game called chaturanga in 7th century India. With the Arab invasion of Persia and trading routes through the silk roads, this game quickly began to spread and was adopted mainly by the Muslim culture. The game steadily moved west and finally reached Western Europe in Spain around the 10th century. There were often huge variations in how the game was played depending on the location, and some rulers even attempted to ban the game. However, due to its association with wealth and knowledge, chess always found its way back into the lives of the upper classes.
Throughout the 1700s the game began to transition into a period now known as the ‘Romantic Era’, in which greater emphasis was placed on aesthetic and tactical beauty within a match. It was during this period, in 1834, that competitive chess became popular following the La Bourdonnais-McDonnell matches, the former which emerged as the leading chess player in the word. Some years later, the first international tournament was organised in London in 1851, in which a major change was established. After some players spent up to two hours deliberating over a single move, variations of the game such as speed chess were introduced utilising a move clock.
The game continued to skyrocket in popularity in the decades following, leading to the first World Championships being held in 1886, followed by the prestigious Olympiad in 1924. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) was also set up in 1924, and to this day is responsible for governing and organising competitions, calculating player ratings and assigning titles such as Grandmaster.
The rise of technology has also had an interesting impact on the game of chess. The improvement in programming has allowed players to test their skills against computer chess engines since the 1960s and 70s, and soon it may be the case that the human brain is unable to compete with artificial intelligence. In 1996, World Chess Champion Gary Kasparov competed against a supercomputer known as Deep Blue. Although Kasparov won the initial match, Deep Blue won the rematch in 1997, marking the first time a World Champion had ever been beaten by a chess engine.
Nonetheless, chess will always be popular due to the importance of strategy, which gives players a chance to test their analysis and planning against other like-minded intellectuals.
How do I bet on Chess?
Here at NetBet, we have a wide variety of markets available for the major matches and tournaments across the year. Here are some of the markets to choose from on our site:
- Outright winner – Place a bet on the player that you think will win an upcoming tournament.
- Winner without – Betting without the favourite. Place a bet on who you think will win an upcoming tournament, excluding the favourite.
- To win – Bet on the player that you think will win a specific match within a tournament.
However, there aren’t just these to choose from. Occasionally, we might choose to Boost a price which you can find at our Promotions page.
When you choose NetBet Sport, you can enjoy a whole range of top quality sports and markets. Whatever you choose, always remember to bet responsibly. Here at NetBet, player wellbeing is our number one priority – check out our Responsible Gambling tips and tools page for more information.