What if chess was 100% solved...

By 100% solved, I mean that computers have finally figured out how to force a win/draw no matter what color you played, and no matter what move you made.

Then let's say that the formula was released and everyone knows it.

What would you do then?  Quit chess?

Invent a 10x10 variant. :D

Failing that, I don't think that would have a huge impact, as there would be tons of lines to memorize, more than a human could accomplish. Also, I think that there would be more intrest left in the game it it was proven to a be draw than White wins.

If everyone knew the solution, then there wouldnt be much of a point to playing, just like tic-tac-toe is now. But chess is amazingly complex, there is thought to be about 10^123 possible games. thats

100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

possible games (give or take a couple zeroes) well beyond the capacity of a human brain. Well beyond the capacity of any computer today.

Of course, this is all idle speculation, as we're a long way from getting to a solution.

Solving a game doesn't ruin it so long as the solution is not trivial.  For example, I've read the game Connect Four has been solved by computer, but perfect play would require memorizing tens of thousands of positions.  I think it's safe to say that solving chess would be like that, except the number of positions you'd need to know would be astronomically higher.  Don't worry, chess is safe. 

welp, that won't happen, sooooo...

I had never thought of that, but that's a really good point. OBIT is correct that Connect Four has been solved and although I haven't played the game since high school I know the best defence to Player 1's forced win (as White below) is:

I don't know every line - I remember favouring Player 2 because zugzwang was easier to accomplish. Now it turns out a computer would be able to thrash me before I got the chance. If the average non-regular-chess-playing Joe could remember the opening 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 (hypothetical forced White win) I doubt they would continue to make the next 90 perfect moves. You can be sure a handful of socially awkwards would memorise all the important variations if there was a forced Win, but a Draw (which seems to be the unproven consensus at the moment) keeps the human mind constantly yearning to find that Win.

By then, we would obviously have already genetically engineered ourselves to live forever and be able to deal with enormous quantities. If you think chess is too boring, try playing it on a Kline bottle, and if that is too boring, play a variant of chess on a 5-D nonorientable surface living in 9-space.

I would start playing Go or shougi. =)