Toughest question ever : are chess moves finite or infinite?

The most difficult question on chess.com? Please give reasons why, no guts feelings... 

The number of possible chess moves in a game is finite because of the 75-move rule, which ends the game in a draw if there are no captures or pawn moves during a 75-move stretch. If both players try to extend a game as long as possible by organizing a cycle of 74 moves, capture, 74 moves, pawn move, eventually they'll run out of pieces and pawns.

Chess is provably finite.

There are a finite number of positions M possible, this is trivially bounded by the number K= 64^13 > M - each square with every possible piece color/type plus the empty.   And if a position repeats three times the game is over and drawn.   So if you're asking if a game can go on forever, it can't, there's an upper bound of 3K-1.  (This bound is not sharp, as many of the positions we count are illegal and/or unreachable - But having a bound means game length is finite).

If you're asking something else, you should clarify what "are chess moves infinite" means.

It is worth noting that just because there is a finite number of positions doesn't mean that the number of possible sequences leading to those positions is finite.  In fact, if it weren't for the 50 move rule and the 3-fold repetition rule, the number of possible games would be infinite even though the number of possible positions is finite.

#3 Am I forgetting something or was it 50 moves?

Nvm I checked what's the 75 move rule.

The 50 move rule means that if both players make 50 moves without captures or pawn moves then the game is automatically a draw. Very rare indeed since GM agree on draw before that if they know no one can win in advance. In addition who has the patience to count 50 moves? Weird chess rule. 50 not 75 moves.

How could it possibly be infinite? Huge, sure. But truly infinite? Can't see how off the top of my head.

Yeah it's not even tough.

50 rule

Draw rule

Limited board

Limited amount of pieces

I mean how on earth a sane person could think chess is infinite?

@CoreyDevinPerish @Merlin_von_Schach @DelightfulLiberty many thanks for your wise comments. Indeed, unless someone can prove us wrong, chess is finite. Go has more combinations and the "Big Blue" first won the world chess player and then the Go world leader...

Is Go a harder game than chess?
Go is simpler than Chess and yet more complex. Simpler because all pieces are the same, just black and white, and in Go the pieces do not move around the board.

even without the 50 move rule, the 3 move repetition rule makes it finite

In FIDE and USCF tournaments, the 50 move rule doesn't create an automatic draw; either player has the right to claim a draw which the other player cannot refuse, but it's not automatic. Both players can legally continue playing beyond the 50 moves if neither wants to end it with a draw.

It's only upon 75 moves it becomes a mandatory draw, and an arbiter can intervene and end the game in a draw regardless of what the players want (although in practice, the arbiter probably won't notice unless you're playing a high-profile game with lots of eyes on your board, or it's late in the day and your board is the last active one in the room).

However, on chess.com the 50 move rule is an automatic draw.

It's rare indeed. I've only played 1 OTB game with the 75 move rule making the game a draw.

Yes @aboceline1900 you are absolutely correct. The % of games that end in a draw due to the 75-move rule is likely very low, probably under 1%, since it's a very rare occurrence that requires a very specific set of conditions. @erik @martin_Stahl

Finite because there is a maximum number of combinations that's you can have pieces in and every 74 moves you would have to capture pieces

Yes I agree, chess has fewer combinations than the Go game and both games are finite. @erik @martin_Stahl