ON THE NEED TO INVESTIGATE CHESS ENGINES FOR EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PURPOSES

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore why and how chess researchers should investigate chess engines for educational and psychological purposes. The motivation for the study of chess engines for educational and psychological purposes is that such study will facilitate chess training and learning.

A chess engine is software that can play chess. Examples of chess engines are Stockfish 14 and AlphaZero. Chess engines tend to be used for entertainment, recreation, and sport. But chess engines have the potential to be used for educational and psychological purposes in settings such as schools, colleges, universities, senior settings, and correctional facilities. However, certain issues regarding chess engines need to be investigated to allow chess engines to be more fully used for educational and psychological purposes. For example, there are chess engines that are assumed to be at certain levels of chess skill (i.e., Elo ratings), but the assumed Elo ratings for the chess engines have not been validated. Empirical research is needed to validate the assumed Elo ratings for various chess engines. Also, some chess engines are able to identify chess blunders. The blunders committed by chess engines and by human chess players should be analyzed and interpreted. Such blunder analysis can then inform efforts to improve chess teaching and practice for human chess players at various levels of chess skill.