In chess, why does white go first?

There isn't a single definitive reason why white goes first in chess, but it likely boils down to a combination of practicality and historical convention:

• Standardization: In the early days of chess, the color moving first might have been decided per game. Around the 1500s, having a standard color move first became more convenient, especially for recording and analyzing games. White became the established choice, possibly due to its association with light and beginnings.

• Fairness: In theory, having the first move grants a slight advantage (called "tempo"). However, since both players have the full set of pieces and all possible moves are available to them, this advantage is minimal. Ultimately, white and black have equal chances to win.

Here are some other interesting tidbits:

• Some believe the color choice might have originated from earlier strategy games where a lighter colored piece represented the attacking side.

• While uncommon, there are some games (like antichess) where black actually has the first move to compensate for some perceived disadvantage in the game rules.

So, while the exact reason might be lost to history, white goes first mainly because it's the established standard that ensures fairness and simplifies game recording.