Cultural transmission of move choice in chess

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how cultural transmission influences move choices in chess, using a statistical model to evaluate biases like success, prestige, and frequency dependence over decades.

Contribution

It introduces a population-level statistical model of move choice in chess and assesses the impact of various social learning biases on move dynamics.

Findings

Negative frequency-dependent bias affects certain move dynamics.

Some moves align with prestige or success bias transmission.

Introduction of computer engines and online broadcasts influence move choices.

Abstract

The study of cultural evolution benefits from detailed analysis of cultural transmission in specific human domains. Chess provides a platform for understanding the transmission of knowledge due to its active community of players, precise behaviors, and long-term records of high-quality data. In this paper, we perform an analysis of chess in the context of cultural evolution, describing multiple cultural factors that affect move choice. We then build a population-level statistical model of move choice in chess, based on the Dirichlet-multinomial likelihood, to analyze cultural transmission over decades of recorded games played by leading players. For moves made in specific positions, we evaluate the relative effects of frequency-dependent bias, success bias, and prestige bias on the dynamics of move frequencies. We observe that negative frequency-dependent bias plays a role in the dynamics of certain moves, and that other moves are compatible with transmission under prestige bias or success bias. These apparent biases may reflect recent changes, namely the introduction of computer chess engines and online tournament broadcasts. Our analysis of chess provides insights into broader questions concerning how social learning biases affect cultural evolution.