As Rachman writes, "These days a would-be grandmaster, staring at the global chessboard, is liable to find that the pawns have started moving around on their own."
And don't assume just the pawns go their own way. Pieces with more weight will act, too.
I don't know if this observation is true based on some measurable indicator. Heck, I have no idea who Rachman is.
But the observation makes sense. As I noted not too long ago, who can be surprised?
Welcome to the flip side of "leading from behind."
When we want allies who can fight without us taking the lead--wait for it--we get allies who can fight without us in the lead.
It's difficult enough to achieve checkmate when we are trying to orchestrate the great game. When we aren't trying, the pieces move themselves.