Some high level FIDE tnmts have recently adopted a rule in which you get 1 pt for a draw and 3 pts for a win.
Joe, nothing personal but don't hold your breath waiting for your rule to be adopted. Check out this link for more info on reducing draws:
http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/draw-by-agreement/steps-taken-to-discourage-draws-or-short-draws.html
you aren't going to get many supporters for that rule nobody wants to throw away all their endgame knowledge. me included
I know, I know. It was more of a hypothetical musing than a proposal for an actual rule change.
There's also "sofia rules" but that wasn't popular when Topalov called for it's use.
Sofa rules? that sounds interesting.
The chess set is placed in the middle of the room.
Why do you want to reduce draws? They're part of the game, and the fact that there is a large percentage of draws at higher levels is a sign that they are playing near-perfectly. Some people say that draws are boring, but 1. not all draws are boring, and 2. the end result of a game -- 1-0, 0-1 or 1/2-1/2 -- is what matters, not whether or not it is interesting.
I feel like chess would be more popular if a higher percentage of games were decisive (not drawn). Any ideas of a minor tweak to the rules that might reduce the number of draws?
Here's mine: Starting at move 40, pawns are allowed to move laterally (along a rank), one square at a time (normal pawn moves are still permitted as well). But they are not allowed to capture laterally (just like they can move forward, but can't capture forward).