Founder of idChess Petr Chernyshev discussed with Arkady Dvorkovich modern innovations and trends, bloggers and the new world champion, women’s championships, and cheating. 

About technologies

In recent years, boards and clocks have been consistently developed. They improve every year, new models are released, and equipment becomes faster and more accurate. Chess clocks allow using different time controls.

Another branch of technologies is related to demonstration. Previously, we mostly streamed with TV cameras of good quality, but only a few of them because of the high cost. Today, more and more mobile phones or small micro cameras are used to broadcast tournaments.

For example, we place mini-cameras directly on the tables to give maximum zoom and show the live emotions of the players. The frontal cameras capture a very interesting perspective for all viewers. Back in the old days, only the leaders were shown in mass competitions, but now it is possible to show more and more boards.

About live streaming

Fifty years ago, there were just large stands with magnetic shapes that were moved with a magnetic stick. I myself was a demonstrator at some events. The main means of transmission was radio. The radio announcers broadcast the moves on the radio and commented on them. And people shifted pieces on their tables at home and watched the game. That is, the main type was audio format.

The main standard now is electronic boards with special chips inside. They transmit moves already online in chess notation format.

About idChess usage

This is a great solution for us. When we started working in pilot mode, we saw the advantage that it was possible to save money on buying digital boards for a huge number of organizers.

Streaming is expensive. For large events, this is not a problem. But there are hundreds, thousands of competitions around the world where such an opportunity simply does not exist. And there are mobile phones. And if the innovation is not very expensive, it gives access to streaming of all possible games. So, parents can watch children play in any format, even the fastest.

We will continue to use electronic boards. They are beautiful, impressive at the most important tournaments, and at the level of top athletes. As for the mass player, new technologies will be the best ways of showing games.

Sometimes they make serious mistakes. idChess or other similar platforms have a lower error rate, and the recording is clearer.

About VAR

The additional option of idChess is a video assistant referee, the possibility to study the conflict situation. For example, a player has a king in check, he does not see it, and his opponent may not see it. At some point, the player makes a move. Then, after a few seconds, it shows up. You have to check whether everything really was so or not.

In standard chess, when the game is slow, it’s all easy to do. In blitz, you sometimes forget the last two or three moves. It’s hard to notice. Going back allows you to see exactly what happened and make a decision according to the rules. Ultimately, arbiters make the decision. VAR is their extra eyes. 

The referees themselves have different attitudes towards this. On the one hand, many of them said that they would use the video assistant because it is very useful. And someone took it negatively, thinking we don’t trust them.

It will take time to implement. In the end, I think it will be an advantage for everyone. If you don’t use VAR too rabidly, it will do some good.

Today, it is impossible to imagine a chess world without modern technological solutions. Not only do they make the competition accessible to the audience, but they also help arbiters and organizers track violations during the game.

Photo: Stev Bonhage