Hans Moke Niemann

American GM

“My main issue with classical chess is that the sample size is quite low. You play one game a day, it’s such a low sample size, there’s all this preparation. Freestyle, in my opinion, is the most meritocratic format because there’s no preparation. Also, the time controls are faster, so you play more games. So, in my opinion, if you want to be a “purist” from a sportive perspective you should have the most games possible and the most meritocratic system. And the most meritocratic system that is based purely on chess skills is — 960s without a doubt.

I do think that super-fast blitz can be a bit random, obviously, that’s why you need to play more games. I think something like a 10+2 or rapid, where you play a 4-game match or two game match — minimizes the luck and ensures meritocracy, and also minimizes variance. I think that should be the goal, if you’re a pure sportsman and don’t want any sort of exhibition-esque qualities.

I think we should adopt something similar to tennis, because chess in a Round-Robin sense, I don’t think it really fits. I think any purely individual sport thrives in a knockout setting.”