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An interesting new variant of chess has emerged, showing that chess will always be fresh-5D chess.

I mostly play the 5x5 version, but the positions do not rocket out of control like in the standard 8x8.

Given its uncomplicated nature, with current computing power, could it be possible to solve this variant of chess?

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  • 5D chess with multiverse time travel? Aug 14, 2020 at 18:10
  • Yes, also could a tag be added for this game?
    – A.Shetye
    Aug 15, 2020 at 15:31

3 Answers 3

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This link explores a way that white can force a draw. Perhaps this is game-breaking and makes the solution process much easier.

I am only an casual chess player and I’m mainly transcribing “5D Lexi”’s analysis.

My attempt at transcribing it (there’s no standard notation for 5D chess)

  1. e3 Kf6
  2. Bb5 c6
  3. c3 ...

The idea is for white to go for Qb3 and then Queen to f7 to move 1. Black should not play cxb5 because he needs active counter play against this idea.

  1. ... Qc7
  2. Qb3 d5 (defending this timeline)
  3. Qf7 to turn 1 (check) Kxf7 (the following is all in this new timeline)
  4. Kf3 Kf6
  5. Ke5 one move back in the same timeline (critical move)

Note: the new timeline is an inactive timeline, so Black doesn’t have to play here. This might be the reason that it’s a forced draw, not a win.

Now, black has difficulties creating another timeline without losing. Because if Black time-travels to a location after move 2, then the present is shifted to move 2, but white’s Knight is checkmating Black’s King on the adjacent timeline.

Black can conceivably travel further back, to turn 1, to defend.

Honestly just watch the video :)

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    Link only answers are not allowed because if the link dies the answer becomes useless. Could you expand on what is behind the link, please? Perhaps explain how white forces the draw?
    – Brian Towers
    Dec 30, 2020 at 21:07
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    @Brian Towers alright will do it soon -- it's midnight here now. If someone else wants to take it and write an answer it's okay too. It's the first few minutes of the video Dec 31, 2020 at 0:39
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    More info added. I encourage 5D chess experts to watch 5D Lexi’s video (linked in answer). Dec 31, 2020 at 14:56
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Very doubtful. Even just 5v5 chess without introducing the time travel element was only weakly solved in 2013 The time element adds much more complexity and would make it much harder to deal with.

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  • What magnitude of complexity does time travel add? Aug 14, 2020 at 23:00
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    The amount of possible moves increases god knows how much, the game state is much more complicated (have to keep in mind all timelines, all previous moves, etc), it just.. it's just TOO MUCH.
    – pulsar512b
    Aug 15, 2020 at 0:03
  • Interesting. Would you say more complicated than chess? What about go? Aug 15, 2020 at 1:04
  • Go (with a normal 19x19 board) would probably be a bit more complicated than this, but 5d 5x5 chess would be more complicated than chess (with the normal 8x8 board). This is a total guess, however, and in any case, it's far beyond our abilities.
    – pulsar512b
    Aug 19, 2020 at 1:24
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In theory, someone could create a computer program that could log every possible set of moves up to a certain amount of moves; however, it might take a great while to build and run such a program.

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    I don't think your post quite answers the question.The key part of the question is (if my interpretation is correct) if it's feasible in practice to solve 5d chess, such as on a reasonable time scale. To my knowledge, every finite, perfect information, no chance-involved game should be solvable in theory as you said for 5d chess.
    – Tauist
    Aug 16, 2020 at 7:42

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