Chess has often been called an international language, but its playing and interpretation vary across cultures. All have evolved differently in playing, based on their philosophy, traditions, and social standing. These can be seen in the thought process, strategy potential, and even psychological thinking of the game.
For instance, the Soviet philosophy of chess, prevalent during the 20th century, favoured intense calculation, positional long-term understanding, and disciplined theoretical training. Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov were both products of the Soviet School of Chess, where positional expertise and patience were valued. By contrast, the American chess culture of the Bobby Fischer era was characterized by aggressive, combative styles of play that were risk-taking and imaginatively tactical. Finally, Shogi (Japanese) and Xiangqi (Chinese) dominated chess culture in Asia in terms of how chess is played there. Most players with such backgrounds concentrate more on piece sacrifices that are dynamic, swift attacks, and mobility. In Hou Yifan’s style of play, the world’s top female chess player, one can see instances of flexibility and positional understanding.
Research has shown that players from different countries tend to favor specific opening strategies and positional decisions. Studies of several hundreds games indicated that Russian players favored closed, positional play and Indian and Chinese players favored dynamic, open positions. Those differences reflect more deeply rooted cultural values - whether an appreciation for structure and patience or for creativeness and aggression.
References:
Chess.com
Stanford Humanities And Sciences
Quora