The Password Game: Why "Your Password Must Include the Best Move" Matters

If you‘ve played the wildly popular web-based puzzle game "The Password Game" created by developer Neal Agarwal, you know firsthand the mounting absurdity and frustration of creating passwords that adhere to a labyrinthine list of requirements. On the surface, the game is a bit of cheeky fun, challenging players to concoct passwords with everything from Roman numerals to country names to emojis. But as the difficulty ramps up with each of the game‘s 35 levels, the underlying message becomes clear—when taken to extremes, complex password requirements can veer into the realm of the ridiculous.

Perhaps no level exemplifies this better than rule 16: "Your password must include the best move in algebraic chess notation." For chess novices, this directive might as well be ancient Greek. Even seasoned chess players could be forgiven for blanking when put on the spot to come up with the optimal move for a given board position. It‘s the kind of esoteric, niche requirement that highlights the folly of prioritizing obscurity over usability in password policies.

A Crash Course in Algebraic Notation

So what exactly is algebraic chess notation, and how can you leverage it to crack The Password Game‘s devious level 16? Algebraic notation has been the standard method for recording chess moves since the 1970s, replacing the older descriptive notation system. It‘s a concise way to log an entire chess game using a combination of letters and numbers.

In algebraic notation, each square of the chessboard is assigned a unique coordinate, with the files (columns) labeled "a" through "h" from left to right and the ranks (rows) numbered 1 through 8 from bottom to top. Every piece except the pawn is represented by an uppercase letter: K for king, Q for queen, R for rook, B for bishop, and N for knight. Pawns are denoted by the absence of a letter.

A move is described by the piece‘s letter (or lack thereof for a pawn) followed by the coordinate of the destination square. For example, "Nb5" would indicate a knight moving to the b5 square. Captures are denoted with an "x" between the piece and the destination, as in "Bxf7" for a bishop capturing a piece on f7. If two identical pieces can move to the same square, the starting file or rank is added to clarify, as in "Ngf3" for the knight on the g-file moving to f3.

Castling is indicated by "0-0" for kingside and "0-0-0" for queenside. A pawn promotion is notated by appending an equals sign and the new piece, as in "e8=Q" for a pawn promoting to a queen on e8. Checkmate is denoted with a hashtag symbol "#", while a check is indicated with a plus sign "+". And if a move requires no clarification, only the destination square is given, as in "e4" for a pawn advancing to e4.

Here‘s how the opening moves of a famous chess game, the 1956 "Game of the Century" between Donald Byrne and 13-year-old Bobby Fischer, would be notated in algebraic shorthand:

1. Nf3 Nf6
2. c4 g6
3. Nc3 Bg7
4. d4 O-O
5. Bf4 d5
6. Qb3 dxc4
7. Qxc4 c6
8. e4 Nbd7
9. Rd1 Nb6
10. Qc5 Bg4
11. Bg5 Na4
12. Qa3 Nxc3
13. bxc3 Nxe4
14. Bxe7 Qb6
15. Bc4 Nxc3
16. Bc5 Rfe8+
17. Kf1 Be6
18. Bxb6 Bxc4+
19. Kg1 Ne2+
20. Kf1 Nxd4+
21. Kg1 Ne2+
22. Kf1 Nc3+
23. Kg1 axb6
24. Qb4 Ra4
25. Qxb6 Nxd1
26. h3 Rxa2
27. Kh2 Nxf2
28. Re1 Rxe1
29. Qd8+ Bf8
30. Nxe1 Bd5
31. Nf3 Ne4
32. Qb8 b5
33. h4 h5
34. Ne5 Kg7
35. Kg1 Bc5+
36. Kf1 Ng3+
37. Ke1 Bb4+
38. Kd1 Bb3+
39. Kc1 Ne2+
40. Kb1 Nc3+
41. Kc1 Rc2# 0-1

While algebraic notation can seem daunting at first glance, it allows for a clear and unambiguous record of a chess game‘s flow. By standardizing the way moves are recorded, algebraic notation facilitates chess study, analysis, and communication among players worldwide. And in the age of computer chess, it provides a common language for chess engines and databases.

Harnessing the Wisdom of the Machines

Speaking of chess engines, you don‘t need to be a grandmaster to solve The Password Game‘s chess challenge. You simply need to know where to turn for some silicon-brained assistance. Just as you might use a password manager to generate strong passwords, you can enlist a chess engine to calculate the best move in algebraic notation.

One user-friendly option is the website NextChessMove.com. To crack level 16, head to the site, select "Capture All," and set up the virtual board to mirror the position shown in The Password Game. Then hit "Calculate Best Move" and let the engine do the heavy lifting. Within seconds, you‘ll have the top move in algebraic notation, ready to copy-paste into your password field. More often than not, the engine‘s move will be a checkmate, denoted with a "#" symbol.

Under the hood, a chess engine like the one powering NextChessMove is performing a staggering number of calculations to arrive at its move recommendations. Modern engines use advanced algorithms and heuristics to evaluate positions, pruning the game tree of suboptimal moves to home in on the most promising lines of play. By churning through millions of positions per second, they can "solve" a game from any given point, finding the best move in a matter of milliseconds.

It‘s a testament to the incredible power of modern computing—and a humbling reminder of the limitations of human cognition. While even the strongest human chess players can calculate only a handful of moves ahead with any reliability, chess engines can see dozens of moves into the future with unerring precision.

In a way, using a chess engine to solve The Password Game‘s chess level is a fitting parallel to how we often navigate the world of cybersecurity, leaning on the expertise of security researchers, white-hat hackers, and automated tools to guide us through the ever-evolving threat landscape. It‘s an acknowledgment that, in an increasingly complex and interconnected world, we can‘t always go it alone—sometimes, we need to harness the wisdom of the machines.

The Perils of Password Complexity

But while enlisting a chess engine can help us conquer The Password Game‘s devious level 16, it doesn‘t address the underlying issue highlighted by the game‘s escalating absurdity—the tension between security and usability in authentication. As our digital lives have expanded to encompass everything from banking to healthcare to social connection, the need for robust cybersecurity has never been greater. Yet in our zeal to fortify our online defenses, we‘ve often placed an undue burden on users in the form of complex password requirements.

Consider some sobering statistics:

• The average person has to remember 70-80 passwords, according to a 2019 survey by LastPass.
• Yet 65% of people reuse passwords across multiple sites, and 45% haven‘t changed their passwords in over a year, per Google‘s 2019 Online Security Survey.
• Forcing users to include certain character types, change passwords frequently, or create passwords of a minimum length doesn‘t necessarily improve security. In fact, NIST‘s latest password guidelines advise against such practices, as they often lead to predictable patterns, password reuse, and insecure workarounds.

The Password Game shines a humorous but poignant light on the pitfalls of placing the burden of security squarely on users‘ shoulders in the form of Byzantine password requirements. While well-intentioned, mandates for passwords with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, and double-digit lengths can backfire by driving users to choose memorable but guessable patterns like "P@ssw0rd1" or default to risky behaviors like recycling passwords across accounts.

And in an era where we increasingly access digital services via mobile devices, the challenges of password complexity are only compounded. The small screens and virtual keyboards of smartphones make typing long, elaborate passwords a teeth-gnashing chore. A 2020 study by Secure Data Recovery found that 65% of people find it difficult to enter passwords on mobile devices, and 56% have abandoned a login attempt due to password frustration.

When authentication becomes too cumbersome, users are more likely to disable or circumvent security measures altogether, leaving their accounts and data vulnerable. In a 2019 survey by Yubico and Ponemon Institute, 57% of respondents admitted to sharing passwords with colleagues to get work done, and 51% said they‘d circumvented password requirements in the name of productivity.

Clearly, the status quo of complex passwords is untenable in an increasingly mobile-centric world. As The Password Game so vividly illustrates, we need a paradigm shift in how we approach authentication—one that prioritizes usability without compromising security.

Envisioning a Passwordless Future

So what might a more user-friendly and secure authentication landscape look like? As The Password Game‘s escalating absurdity suggests, the answer may lie in moving beyond passwords altogether.

Already, we‘re seeing promising strides toward passwordless authentication, driven by a confluence of technological innovations and evolving industry standards. Biometric authentication methods like Apple‘s Face ID and Touch ID offer a compelling glimpse of a future where our unique physical characteristics—from fingerprints to facial features to iris patterns—serve as effortless and unforgettable "passwords."

Meanwhile, the FIDO Alliance‘s FIDO2 standard is paving the way for a new generation of passwordless sign-in methods using USB security keys or biometric sensors built into devices. By replacing vulnerable password databases with encrypted public-key cryptography, FIDO2 enables users to authenticate securely without ever having to create or remember a password. Heavyweights like Google, Microsoft, and Apple have all embraced the standard, with Android, Windows, and iOS now offering native FIDO2 support.

But true progress toward a passwordless future will require more than just technological innovation. It will demand a fundamental mindset shift among developers, companies, and organizations to prioritize usable security as a core design principle. Too often, security is treated as an afterthought, bolted on after the fact with clunky password prompts and requirements. But as The Password Game so cleverly illustrates, this approach is unsustainable in a world where our digital and physical lives are increasingly intertwined.

Developers need to bake intuitive, user-friendly security into their products from the ground up, considering the unique constraints and opportunities of an increasingly mobile-first landscape. Companies need to invest in employee education and provide tools that make good password hygiene effortless. And organizations need to rethink outdated password policies in favor of risk-based authentication that adapts to the user‘s context and behavior.

As a self-proclaimed "tech geek" and "social expert," I‘ve experienced my fair share of password-induced headaches over the years. From struggling to type complex passwords on my smartphone‘s tiny keyboard to getting locked out of accounts after forgetting which variation of my go-to password I used, I‘ve often found myself wishing for a better way.

And while I can appreciate the geeky thrill of cracking The Password Game‘s chess level with the aid of a powerful chess engine, I also recognize it as a symptom of a broken status quo—one where we place the onus of security on users in ways that are increasingly untenable in a mobile-centric world.

But I‘m also optimistic that we‘re on the cusp of a new era in authentication—one where technological innovations like biometrics and cryptographic keys, coupled with a renewed focus on usable security, can finally deliver on the promise of secure, seamless sign-ins. As we become ever more reliant on mobile devices and services in our daily lives, the need for authentication methods that are both iron-clad and effortless has never been greater.

So here‘s my call to action to readers: Let‘s demand better from the products and services we use. Let‘s push developers to prioritize usable security, and let‘s hold organizations accountable for authentication policies that put user experience first. Let‘s educate ourselves and our colleagues about password best practices—and the benefits of moving beyond passwords altogether. And let‘s advocate for standards and regulations that incentivize a more secure, user-friendly digital ecosystem.

The Password Game may be just a playful diversion, but it‘s also a powerful reminder of the urgent need to rethink authentication for the mobile age. Together, we can build a future where signing in is both secure and simple—no chess mastery required.