Will computers ever solve chess?

We already estimated the size of the hardware needed, you can do it yourself as well (pro tip: if you end up with a computer the size of a planet, you're on the right track ).

If you don't know how:
-look up how many games need to be checked. It's in the order of 10**120 for a game of roughly 40 moves I recall, most games I play are about 50% longer making it probably around 10**180 (assuming exponential growth). Computers play much, much longer games as they don't blunder, so I'd say probably triple that, so 10**540 games to check.
-See how many calculations a computer can do per second, the best computer currently can do 33,860 trillion calculations per second, or ~3.4*10**19, let's assume the next computer can do that, times 3 billion (3*10**9) (that's a very generous assumption), that's a big ass computer at 10**29 Petaflops
- divide one by the other, returns about 10**511 seconds, or 10**507 days, or 3*10**504 years (!)
- even if you think the amount of computations is "only" 10**120 and the best computer will be 9 billion billion billion times more powerful than our current best you still end up with 10**66 years!

When it comes to the definition of "solve", you can google/wikipedia it:
"Solving chess means finding an optimal strategy for playing chess, i.e. one by which one of the players (White or Black) can always force a victory, or both can force a draw"

*I could be a couple zeros off, I'm kinda tired but oh well, you get the idea*

Instead of doing the math or inventing and building a planet-sized quantum supercomputer and perfect software, let's just agree that the solution to chess is a draw based on A) The average of all GM games is a draw   B) Every perfect move vs every perfect move will lead to a draw (common sense)   C)  The French Defense can force a draw, if played perfectly by both sides   D) Black cannot copy every move by white, because a check cannot be copied, so black can only draw or lose by copying white's moves   E)  K+B vs K+P or K+N vs K+P is a draw, therefore black can always force a draw, with perfect endgame play    F) I say so and I am all-knowing.   lol   

I said you needed abillity in programming, and now math too.  !0**120 games and each 40 moves is 40*10**120 or 4*10**121.  NOT 10**180.

But programming allows one to record each possition ONLY once and EVERY game posiition that is the SAME as any other only possition needes to be recorded ONCE,  not every time it occurs.  And the rest of the second game is completed dropped. 

As a small side note;  this programm "solves"  960 too.  With no changes.

You're wrong, and here's why:

If you have 1 move, you have 20 moves, if you have 2 moves it's about 400 moves, 3 moves is 800. You see, you don't multiply 20 by 3 to get 60 moves, you cube it.

I hope that helps

If you triple the amount of moves, the amount of games cubes, try it yourself with the first 1, 2, 3, 4 moves

No problem.  So you were counting possitions , not games.  Need to say so.  10**180 possitions as a max isn't much.  Now lest start to reduce by correct programming,  ANY IDEAS ??

Just your reputation.

I wasn't counting positions, I was counting games...

You know "solving" means you need to find the best solution, in order to prove that you have to check all possible ways of refuting it. There really isn't much reducing to be done.

Time in chess:

Initiative and tempo are not, in any way, interchangeable terms in chess.  Tempo is not a state that you "have".  There's no such thing as "having the tempo" in chess.  Maybe you are thinking of music .

A tempo is a half move, or in discussion terms in the context of chess, a potential/possible half move.  It has a value estimated at 1/4 to 1/3 of a pawn at the start of a game.  Gambits are often made to gain a tempo or two.  This is often in conjunction with having the initiative, but neither is dependent on the other, nor a direct causation of the other...

Initiative is more of a spectrum.  If you check your opponent, you clearly have taking the immediate initiative in the sense that the next move they make must deal with your threat...but you could still be losing badly and not have the overall initiative if you are poorly developed, etc.  If your opponent's piece is en prise, or they must create an escape square, etc., then in theory you also have the initiative, but this is not forced...they can sac the piece, they can mate you first, etc.

The softest form of initiative is, say, fighting over the e5 square...if you keep applying added pressure on e5 and your opponent is responding merely by defending e5 without any counterplay, then you have the initiative.  The opponent is reacting to your moves without advancing any of their own goals/plans.  That is the definition of initiative.  Notice how time and tempi are nice and helpful, but are not required to meet that definition.

Is it easier to hold the initiative when you have gained an extra tempo or two in the opening?  Sure is.  Is meat usually tastier when properly salted?  Sure is.  But that would not allow you to equate salt with meat ...

So start over.  Do you want to count games or positions ?  To record and SOLVE every possible game we need to record all possible POSITIONS.  Say 20 different moves per move by 45 moves per game.  Or say about 10**50 possitions.   Is that what you are after ?

this is the "great question".

how will those who are human confront our mechanical creation ?

to make a machine.

to make a machine that understands us.

to make a machine which knows how to be able to make other machines.

to destroy.....frankenstein.

frankenstien.

You should have explained that reasoning in your original comment then.  I misunderstood it to mean that you were implying 10 to the 180th x 3 = 10 to the 540th.

True.  I would think that eventually, the processors would have to double in size too, to accommodate the doubled speed.  Circuits can only get so close together before they start to short each other out.  For those not up on electronics theory, a short is when the electricity can jump from one circuit to another.  This can happen if the circuits are too close together, even if they aren't physically touching each other.

Are we talking about cyborgs again?   A human being with a computer chip implanted in his brain?  

My latest invention is a modified baseball cap. It runs on 2 AA batteries. There are two electrodes in contact with specific locations on the scalp. The chip is located in the bill. A 2nd device, the FOB can be carried about on a key chain. By pressing specific codes, the electrodes "Stimulate" the brain, eliminating all need for drugs or alcohol . The effects are instantaneous. Addictions solved.

Don't give them any ideas.  They might try to wear them to chess tournaments.  lol

For a thousand years there has not been even one game where White won without Black making a mistake.

This is one of the many indications that the game of chess is a draw with best play by both sides. [there is other, much, evidence of this]