I was apart of the "covid chess cohort" and got really into it for quite a few years. In that time, I also learned about what the chess culture was like pre-engine and post-engine, and I think you could argue that post-engine did kind of make the game more mechanical - and that kinda ruined things for people that grew up in the pre-engine era. it felt like pre-engine chess had a lot of mystique to it because knowing the best move was never truly clear. the only way to know what was best, was by: getting better yourself, socializing at chess club, learning from better players or coach.

this sort of lack of clarity is what drove people to learn more about the game.

like think about what it must've been like to go to a chess tournaments pre-engines: finals matches had everyone at your chess club watching the game, calculating lines with each other, and you HAD to calculate to understand the direction of game. it sounds so much more engaging and fun!

now, the top games have the stockfish bar next to it, and you instantly know who's got better odds without having to really follow along. and you're not encouraged to calculate beyond a few moves ahead because you just offload the real thinking to stockfish. honestly, it's a vibe a killer when you go back and see images and read about the culture beforehand.

I agree engines didn't really "kill" chess - and I think most of that is due to chess not being tied to economic value. but it did kill what I believe was a superior culture compared to today's chess era.

all this to say, I think what AI did to chess culture in the 90s is happening to stem right now with LLMs