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Unlike in movies, most smart people aren't good in chess. (lemmy.sdf.org)

submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Sure, playing chess needs intelligence, dedication, and good chess players are smarter than an average person. But it's waaaay exaggerated in movies. I'm a math researcher, and in any movie, my department will be full of chess geniuses. But in reality, only about 10% of them even play chess.

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[-] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I largely don't agree with this, I played chess (Battle Chess) as a kid, I wasnt the best at chess but I had fun. I hadn't played it in over 15+ years.

My coworker plays chess on a regular basis, against other players and against the computer at 1,700. He knows quite a few strategies that I never bothered to ask what they entailed, which is a part of your point, but I just play off of the moves I see on the board, I don't know any technical moves or strategies other than checkmate the king, castling, and en passant.

I literally wing it every time and my opponent is always thinking about future moves to try and destroy me. Our matches include blunders and typically end up with only a couple pieces left on the board. Its such a fun experience when it's played without expectation and you're relying on pure personal strategy in real time.

I've won twice In a row now. Its usually back and forth

this post was submitted on 17 Apr 2025

364 points (97.2% liked)

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