Chess/Game Theory

Regarding chess theory, the white side would either be able to force a tie or win using a preset move-response chain. Black could only lose or tie, assuming again knowledge of the opening move and resulting reactions, with perfect responses. The option of choosing the opener is on white, so the guaranteed no lose scenario can only be theirs. There are likely multiple openers that can result in similar no loss scenarios, of varying lengths as well, I am unsure there.

The issue is that once action and reaction are known and can be executed in game, it would always play out the same way, and always end in the same stalemate, assuming both sides are looking to win.

I am confident in saying that while this theory would be exceptionally difficult to prove and encode, it is impossible to disprove.

That is to say, the truth of a thing cannot be disproven. The wise and bold alike will try, but only the fool would persist in trying once the truth is known.

Scaling this down, setting up a no lose scenario is easy to do and encode in tic tac toe. Scaling this up, assuming there is a true Theory of Everything, as I suspect there is, the consciousness/reality matrix itself operates under this same governing dynamic.

Under these conditions in chess, black would have no hope of victory, but they may be able take paths that would shorten or lengthen the trip to a stalemate (up to the upper limit). This would once more get quite complex though, if aiming for a stalemate shorter than the maximum possible length, and if the outcomes (permutations) are not all known, could result in a loss (for either side if they have not encoded fully this permutation, since they are both then in uncharted territory).

Also, consider Data playing the Strategema master (Star Trek: TNG). This scenario adds a time/reaction speed component to the game, matching more closely to how our universe operates than chess. We can see here that the skilled opponent can actually prolong the game into a stalemate rather than shortening it into one, at which point one's endurance outside the game comes into focus. If the "Third Level Grand Master" had not quit, he would have lost, as the
Lieutenant Commander did not require rest and could prolong the game seemingly indefinitely with his strategy.

It is my belief that the first and last move in the game we find ourselves in will be made by the same *entity unless/until such a time as the nature of the game can be both changed and preserved simultaneously with the outcome that will be/has been (from a timeless perspective) achieved.
*God.

Doctor Who just added a layer to this for me: It is possible for black to be walked down this path, even if mistakes are made, and still win the game. They must be able to offer something of enough value outside the game such that the victor surrenders the match. Note, this move would not be possible outside of THE game, God only knows what that is.