Can Magnus Carlsen Win A Chess Game WITHOUT Knowing The Pieces?

[@joeyharrington1863]

The big board was definitely more of a challenge than the pieces all looking the same.

[@alihms]

Looking at them panting to take breaths, this is good for chess players for their workouts.

[@azap12]

Magnus was not panting. He also workout.

[@sohamdas]

Idiot, he trains physically including running with a coach before the championships. Go do some homework, you loose-mouth!

[@yeetyt1770]

@LukeXBL llollll

[@Unpug]

Yes

[@geometricart7851]

so this is essentially blindfold chess except you get the benefit of seeing the board and piece positions...Carlsen should find this quite easy.

[@zhongkaichen7505]

All professional chess player can play blindfold chess...

[@TheBotgaming]

@@zhongkaichen7505 no way sherkock, he was just pointing out that this is easier than playing blindfolded...so no real task for any gm

[@lazyshooter23]

@JonaasK 'Carlsen should find this quite easy' is a new clause. The title of the video is a question directed at Carlsen. It's not weird to use the subject of the title clause to present an opinion; It's appropriate.

[@dylanlhs]

@JonaasK The title of the video asks if magnus carlsen could win a game without knowing which piece was which. The original comment is talking about magnus being able to do it because that was the question, if the video title asked if a GM could do it the comment would be addressing all GMs.

[@lifetake3103]

@JonaasK The title is "Can Magnus Carlsen Win A Chess Game WITHOUT Knowing The Pieces?" The commenter is literally addressing the question. It isn't weird. Yes you could also answer the question by saying any gm could play blindfolded thus any gm including Magnus could do this, but the commenters answer is also acceptable because its direct.

[@anonymustarrasque3550]

Yes. This is significantly easier than blindfolded Chess, and most GMs can easily do that. And Magnus is way better than most GMs...

[@lukaswolek7294]

No it isn't.

[@dujimon]

@@lukaswolek7294 it would feel easier because you can make a visual note of pieces rather than having to play the whole game in your mind

[@dixidum2380]

@@dujimon No it isn't.

[@anonymustarrasque3550]

@@dixidum2380 When you're blindfolded, you have no reminder of where the pieces have been moved. For me at least, having one and being able to figure out which pieces are which based off positions compared to where things were at the start of the board and where they can move too makes it a lot easier to play this way than it would be to play blindfolded.

[@mejazo]

@@dixidum2380 it is

[@darkknight32920]

Something that's being overlooked here is that David had the play the game like that too, and he remained quite competitive until the end. Give the guy some credit!

[@sxnchou]

“quite competitive” my brother he’s literally a GM as well. not a super gm but nonetheless a top 0.01% chess player

[@darkknight32920]

@@sxnchou Yes, but he's playing Magnus.

[@ilect1690]

@@sxnchou a GM is nothing compared to a magnus, its pretty much the equivelent to comparing a GM to a FM

[@sxnchou]

@@darkknight32920 it is expected that a GM remains "quite competitive" in any chess game he plays against anyone. even a game against stockfish v15 (despite the inevitable loss). any of the 2k ish GMs should have been able to give him a challenge. i dont disagree with your point though, just that i think that you've gravely underestimated david's skill

[@hoveringgoat8061]

I doubt magnus was really giving it any effort at all

[@suryanshtripathi6249]

I thought it was a random dude but he proved he is a gm in 39 seconds

[@sicdav1d0ff]

That is David Howell, a chess commentator and active play ranked top 55 in the world. He competes with the best, he is the real deal.

[@mcfcxx9849]

Super GM at one time even.

[@albireo2990]

@@mcfcxx9849isn’t a Super GM 2900 ELO?

[@mcfcxx9849]

@@albireo2990 I think its 2700, David's peak was 2712

[@albireo2990]

@@mcfcxx9849 2700 is GM.

[@jimhill4725]

This was WAY more entertaining than I expected it to be: Kudos to both players for keeping it so interesting until the time had run out (in the case of GM Howell who nevertheless kept it competitive throughout)

[@_-__-____]

Howell is a beast, he's ranked #58 in the world right now.

[@sleepyyuta112]

​@@_-__-____didn't know that, that explains why he always find nasty tactical opporunities in every game he's commentating!

[@さぼせんぱい]

The man is a walking Super GM as well. And gave Magnus a hard time way back in their Youth European Championships in the early 2000s.

[@ced3069]

Why do I not see Howell that much in tournaments? (As compared to others like Hikaru, Fabi, etc.) Sorry I'm very new to chess so irdk.

[@pilzz03]

@@ced3069because he‘s not one of the top 10-15 players of the world and those are the only ones that you see regularly in big streamed events.

[@TheWizardsOfOz]

This should be how some chess event games should be played, so no one can deny that chess is an official sport. It is stand up chess, both good exercise and funny for the audience.

[@asaantoine9485]

why does chess need to be considered a sport?

[@meron7700]

@@asaantoine9485 Chess is already officially recognized as a sport, that is why you should consider it a sport.

[@behavior2836]

@@meron7700 didn't really answer the question

[@pomonoli]

I would propose a synched clock on both sides though, to not let the far end board side be a possible flagging strategy.

[@PanterD2S]

thinking and concentration is the sports part, not pressing the clock nor moving the pieces

[@lennoxlewis9513]

David Howell is such a wholesome person. It's always fun when he is around.

[@groupvucic2235]

He beats his wife

[@TrueLegoXman]

That’s not how you play checkers.

[@jdisdabetter]

Hahaha the thumbnail did you read it (no offense)

[@euyn_009]

@@jdisdabetter its called an joke

[@goku9q]

its not checkers-

[@valiantt4962]

@@goku9qno shit Sherlock

[@aishafarhat9917]

It's chess but not knowing the pieces

[@johnbulanadi6204]

"I know you're guessing but sometimes you guess right" is such a flex lol.

[@NearlyInfinity]

0:10 magnus knowing for sure that he will never lose his way in a million years playing this lmao

[@zacharyadler4071]

this felt a lot like a tennis match where you keep hitting the ball to make the opponent run a lot. Magnus would move some piece close to the clock a short distance which causes an attack on David's piece which is far away from the clock forcing him to run around and lose time

[@alextgordon]

Chennis

[@panbanan1151]

@@alextgordon Pennis

[@geometricart7851]

haha what a great analogy. It really was.

[@laxyajena4735]

​@@panbanan1151bishop

[@shennyboi110]

The mind games on magnus’ end are unreal

[@TheOriginalJohnDoe]

I love how Magnus is slowly moving and the other guy is rushing everything trying to hit the timer 😂

[@geometricart7851]

That's what happens in a game of Chennis

[@muneeb-khan]

The pros exercise a ton because it helps them with their games. Magnus really like football and yoga. Fabiano tennis etc.

[@billtalent1]

Carlson was playing blindfolded chess against 10 people at the same time when he was a child.

[@6UM613.]

Carlsen*

[@chesscrush]

I think it would be cool if they played a game like this but with a previously setup middlegame position and only David knows where all the pieces are. That way Magnus has to figure out which piece is which and it would make for a very interesting game.

[@nino9273]

david is a 2600 grandmaster, he would win in a heartbeat if only he knew the pieces

[@chesscrush]

@@nino9273 I don't think so, it's a middlegame position, all pieces developed and a fairly normal position. I think Magnus would figure out most of the pieces straight away. People also thought it would be impossible for Magnus to know a game by the first few moves or know a famous position only by the placement of the pieces and there we are.

[@kzkaa.]

​@@chesscrushhe could do it by asking if a move is legal or not until he has moved most if not all of his pieces.

[@Goodguy507]

There needs to be some indication for him to know the pieces, like the position being from a famous game or something, or the position being a theoretical position, otherwise he would just make illegal moves and lose, also as mentioned before, howell is a strong grandmaster, if he had such a great advantage against magnus it would really be unfair, this isn't some 1600 rookie he's playing against after all

[@sudhramjutun5694]

No why should another GM get so much advantage on Magnus. That would be unfair and Magnus would lose.

[@GMPranav]

0:13 Magnus thinking bro we can play blindfolded, this is nothing

[@HyperSpace588]

I mean he can literally play blindfolded. Even 1800s like me can play chess like this (not win)

[@Halti-xo1ls]

Yeah i am 1800 to maybe I could play this it would just be VERY HARD

[@ariisee]

I've played blindfolded several times (1300) and I feel like it's very easy...? You just have to think a bit more as you have to remember the board.

[@EcstaticMonkey98]

I’m stuck at 1800

[@builderphill1361]

​@@ariiseeif you're 1300 there's no way you could play a real game blindfolded 💀

[@adarshtiwari6459]

​@@Halti-xo1lshow long did it take to reach 1800?

[@Relatable_posting]

8:18 when David said "story of my life, no time" I felt it

[@soot.mp3]

This only reminds me of the time my Chess Club senior 'wanted my help with practicing', so we played a normal game of chess except he kept his eyes closed the entire time with me announcing my moves, and moving his pieces for him... He mopped the floor with me... Chess isn't the same without you, Brandon.

[@Hans-nr4im]

David Howell is such a charismatic dude. Excellent host, commentator and player

[@lma5508]

I love him

[@Jackjohnjay]

The most physical game of chess ever lol. I like it

[@lyrlwestrum3971]

Chess boxing is a thing.

[@vollkornkeks9177]

​@@lyrlwestrum3971the boxing is physical there, not the game of chess

[@geometricart7851]

Uh, You've never heard of Chess Boxing?

[@geometricart7851]

It's part of the game though.@@vollkornkeks9177

[@Rg-nk3rc]

​@@vollkornkeks9177 With that same logic the walking is also the physical one in this case, and not the chess.

[@88mphDrBrown]

Doing the recognition test of games with the air things pieces was one thing, it was a unique challenge, but playing a game with them is more of a beneficial handicap for Magnus than making it harder. Magnus can easily play 1 game blindfolded. Giving him a board with representative pieces probably feels no different for him than normal pieces (barring the size). I get that it was probably more of a production decision based off of getting another video out of the set, than it was about giving him a challenge.

[@droidgeist]

The sound of the device rubbing on the surface is so grating. Reminds me of polystyrene pieces rubbing together.

[@BasedOtter]

this version of chess gives the definition of chess being a sport a whole new dimension, especially under time pressure

[@swift8821]

Props to David for not getting blown off the board in 20 moves 😊

[@geometricart7851]

Well he is a GM too.

[@sankang9425]

A super one, in fact.

[@SevenCoC]

he actually had a missed win @3:33. Bh8 forces black to give up a rook to prevent mate, giving white a totally winning position

[@ab8jeh]

​@@SevenCoCWhy not Qc3 in defence?

[@SevenCoC]

@@ab8jeh bxc3

[@happydogger5009]

"I really wanna win" and so do many grandmasters, but you're playing against Magnus so that's not an option

[@outerdimension7276]

This looks harder than blindfold. At least in blindfold the pieces in your head are the actual pieces and that's all you got, but thinking of the pieces and looking at all these discs gotta be confusing.

[@gartyqam]

u can just do blindfold in your head and then move the disk

[@fivosliogas2127]

no thats wrong. In blindfold you need to remember both the piece and the position. In this u only need to remember the piece + you can check which piece u ate for double check

[@talessegatto5600]

Can someone ask to him (Magnus) about the match between Karpov? This match is impossible to find on the Internet!

[@g.3521]

@@fivosliogas2127 Nope, this is a lot harder. I can kind of do blindfolded, but seeing the board like this completely messes me up.

[@PhoenixLucido]

Well it's way easier than blindfolded

[@immjjaayy]

this is really funny if you look at it like an office company doing a team building excercise

[@JustinRed624]

I like how they're still using the same hand rule despite the board being enormous and the clock being far away

[@awesaiyum6596]

Yeah that just makes it harder

[@MrRickRenegade]

3:39 Doesn't David have the absolute crushing win with Bh8?!! What am I missing?

[@_HaSSaaN_]

I was wondering the same

[@MightySeagull29]

Me too

[@nilayzaveri468]

Damn yeah I can't see how you'd defend either

[@gothpotato07]

actually after f6 it would be challenging. even if Qf6 or Bf6 magnus could defend that

[@colbert6122]

He maybe mistook it for a pawn?

[@ImsorryIdontExist]

So it's blindfloded with knowing the position of the pieces.

[@valiantwarrior1988]

its a lot harder than normal blind fold trust me, the shapes are deceiving to handle

[@ImsorryIdontExist]

@@valiantwarrior1988 bruh they both top 100 they already have the board in their mind.

[@Undefined14]

I think it's difficult because of the speed. The second game was essentially bullet, considering how long it took to run around and hit the clock. I've never seen anyone play blindfolded this fast.

[@ImsorryIdontExist]

@@Undefined14 if it was an IM its a problem but for someone like Magnus it's not trust me on that .

[@Tuh_qh90]

the cinematography of these videos is amazing. And David is such a nice person

[@shadowtony8]

"We might be able to rely on pattern recognition on the first few moves, but we will definitely lose our way somewhere along the lines" Magnus giving that look of "who's WE?"

[@paupajares9678]

actually, he himself is stupidly lying since any gm would find this hilariously easy and hes a 2600. Idk maybe he likes to lie, he gets off by being a liar

[@vuongnh0607l]

@@paupajares9678 it's for entertainment. Hyping stuff up for the audience.

[@geometricart7851]

@@paupajares9678 the problem herein is David is playing someone 200+ ELO stronger than him.

[@joshbalisi1251]

the way magnus speaks is so commanding in nature, like a true king over his pieces

[@fSFan333]

the second match was more of a moving-fast-on-an-oversized-chessboard competition than an actual game tbh. Even though they sure could've made it a game if a certain person moved quicker, but sure that time increment often is brutal.

[@valiantwarrior1988]

'Chess isn't a physical sport' Chess: 4:55

[@1eny]

i thought they were playing checkers

[@md.farhanabrarhossain5669]

He's never losing the way lmao. He can literally play blindfolded with multiple opponents at once. You think something like this can confuse him?

[@guillaumelagueyte1019]

It's promotional material, it's not supposed to be particularly hard for either of them (well, remembering the pieces is easy, winning is another story)

[@GardenChess]

Found a magnus simp

[@GardenChess]

Plus his opponent is also a gm, he never said he’d win he just said he’d like to lmao

[@alekhinesgun9997]

And Howel can do the same?

[@md.farhanabrarhossain5669]

@@GardenChess it's literally facts. Why not prove me wrong if you think I'm simply a Magnus simp?

[@Halti-xo1ls]

That is so cool respect to the players for remembering it for some time I would’ve lost track on move 3 😂

[@artificercreator]

That was fun; We need one made with people, all dressed up as chess pieces, the guests can be part of the game of that way. The board is gona be huge i guess and the players may had to use some megaphone and stand over a pedastal to have an overview of the field.

[@willlux7743]

Everyone has thought about this at least once in their life….yes please, I want this.

[@ZsmZer0]

why the timer was so far from the board 😭

[@Veptis]

Playing time control with such a large board is the real challenge

[@issarealbanger7734]

Greatest chess player in the world: Qb7 Stockfish: ??

[@VividFlash]

I like how magnus smile at the start is like "yeah sure, i won't struggle, maybe you will"

[@andrew_moffat]

0:28 move 1, oh no

[@hiddencuber2250]

The title should be "Can david compete Magnus without knowing the piece?" Cause Magnus even play 8 boards blindfolded

[@theprocrastinationschool5545]

Bro this guy can win 10 chess games at the same time without seeing the pieces.

[@endershadow2315]

My. Ear. Is. Bleeding. From. These. FRICTIONS.

[@gormit0]

5:20 That's why playing chess burns a lot of calories

[@ofeats6555]

Funny how david is like running/jogging to the clock after his move and magnus is like casually walking

[@Shwonak]

They needed a bigger increment given how long it takes to make each move

[@meow-chan-likes-to-purr-1324]

this takes chess is a sport to another level

[@HD-fy2wu]

I feel that the most challenging part of this game is enduring the screeching noise made when pieces are slid across the board.

[@Judy-e2s]

David brings out the real Magnus, he's always so relaxed around him. Nice to see

[@Alex-yj4wz]

It’s more fun to watch David struggle than to watch the game itself Lol😂

[@zvonimirtosic6171]

Clark Kent struggling is in fact part of his disguise.

[@estes1022]

This is like Blindfolded but Easy.

[@chmogo1892]

7:29 me everytime i play chess.

[@Magani79]

everytime. every move.

[@Chalhattbadmashhhhhh]

That sound when the pieces are moved is so satisfying

[@mtn2704]

Ilove how magnus isn't the world champion anymore and we are still looking at him as the world champion

[@alex2005z]

I mean he only lost it because he chose to. He still is the highest ranked player

[@Andlekin]

Magnus has played three simultaneous blindfolded games. This wouldn't even make him break a sweat.

[@TheRubySpider]

I feel like Magnus, whether knowingly or otherwise, gave himself tactical advantage by concentrating his pieces on the left side of the board, thus saving himself time by being able to position his body right between his pieces and the clock.

[@avasam06]

I wouldn't be surprised. Magnus often seems to favor moves for time when he's not going for a setup.

[@umidnazarov5725]

From the title you get the impression that Magnus is the only guy who plays blindfolded while his opponent isn't.

[@Adus_A-v5h]

Tbh Magnus looks like Thor with the beard

[@Hp_359]

Trueeeeee

[@stephenkamenar]

"we will definitely lose our way" ... no. magnus can play like 7 boards blindfolded

[@M4R4N]

Love the video! Makes chess content much more fun and creative, definitely years to remember.

[@los-lobos]

1:57 What he meant to say was “I’m just always turning the pieces over to double check my intelligence”

[@agentttttt]

Excellent video! Please make more of these.

[@3VILSCORPIO]

bro already played blindfolded and won, this is like an icing on a cake.

[@Romo23]

Howell is a beast

[@prithvisinghpanwar007]

magnus in head: Yeah, it was my 3452nd game on lichess

[@pawnriot3269]

3:27 Magnus plays Qxc2 to "play it safe" ...but how does that defend against Bh8? The only way to prevent Qg7# checkmate would be to push f6 but after Qxf6 black doesn't really have any defence. What am I missing here?

[@MrFrankCape]

Yeah, after Qxf6 there's Rxe7; Qxe7, Kxh8 ... I imagine taking the queen would have been the only move there and "playing it safe" was a blunder but I can't imagine Magnus didn't see that, so maybe taking the queen would have put him in a position that he thought more challenging to play?

[@pawnriot3269]

​@@MrFrankCapeAnd after Kxh8, David even has Qxb7. So at the very least he ends up a full piece up.

[@MrFrankCape]

@@pawnriot3269 yeah white is definitely winning there! But that's kind of the magic of Magnus in many of his games (though it might not be the case here), where he goes for a path that the engine hates because he knows that it's harder for his opponent to play perfectly

[@gtagSebaR]

Thought magnus was gonna do triple bongcloud💀

[@mddono445]

For those saying everyone can play blindfold chess over 2000, try doing it against another super GM… and winning.

[@sleepyyuta112]

almost every people who watch chess underestimates any player who isn't magnus or hikaru

[@donquixote8462]

​@@sleepyyuta112 Oh they definitely underestimate them too. 😂

[@billj4525]

That's usually true, but not 100% true. I have played against 2100's who couldn't play blind folded, and I have played against 1400's who could. In general though 2000 is just a good rule, but don't take the 2000 rule as a guarantee, because it doesn't always work that way at all. Anyone can technically learn to play blindfolded any almost any rating with enough time invested in learning. Some people also just can remember where all the pieces are at all times regardless of their rating.

[@Pizzous]

This isn't blindfold chess. It's is advertfold chess. One person should get tilted so hard and slam the pieces so we get an idea how durable they are.

[@mukulparihar2208]

3:49 bishop to h8 and then queen to g7 mate right??😅😅

[@AdnanDoughan]

No because after bishop h8 black king goes to f8 then queen g7 and then black king takes pawn e7

[@AdnanDoughan]

Or rook can take pawn e7 and king just moves to the left

[@spycookie6174]

Guy can play drunk & blind, I'm pretty sure this is a non-issue

[@TheWormooo]

David is such a fun person to play with

[@pacattack2586]

I think a good change would be if the pieces were randomized fisher style first so that the players have to figure out what their pieces are as they play

[@Elfutbol59]

He literally played 10 blindfold games simultaneosly, this is extremely easy for him, but also for the other guy

[@FelipeASaito]

I think the board was made huge on purpose for an entertainment value, because this is essentially an easier version of blindfolded chess

[@jmtx.]

For a dude who can play multiple people while blindfolded, and win, this game is just a damn inconvenience of having to move around so much. SMH.

[@SadiDoesStuff]

The board is so huge, this has to become a full on sport speedrun

[@kachartrand1962]

Go Magnus!!!

[@RalphAdrianDeHitta]

this magnet guy seems serious

[@Aa-jd3dh]

I don't understand what is going on at 3:33. Seems like Carlsen is checkmate or close to lost after Bh8...

[@bewlulo]

yeah, the best line i saw was Bh8 f6 Qxf6 Rxe7, but then white is just up an exchange. Even the mobile engine agreed, but the stronger laptop engine saw that Bh8 f6 (and if Qxf6, Qc5+ allows Rxe7 to defend the mate, and black is actually for choice). The best move is Bxf6, after which Black can play Rac8, Qc5+, and just be very active.

[@Aa-jd3dh]

@@bewlulo but the white king is on h1 not g1 so there is no ...Qc5 with check

[@Gomes862]

it wins a rook

[@Blankcowve-cj7te]

so, basically an athletic contest to see who's more agile?

[@brimmed]

I didn't know the other guy was a GM til I read the description. Was going to say it's impressive he remembered where all the pieces are. Not surprised that Magnus remembers, but the rest of us mortals it's impressive, a little less so when you're a GM

[@chessthejameswei]

Please please correct me if I'm wrong but at 4:14 the eval for black is wrong. Black has Qf4+ "checkmating" the king and after white takes with the queen black takes with the pawn deflecting white's king which wins white's rook. Obviously understandable that both players missed this but I could see the board.

[@tjson2842]

Evaluation is never wrong.

[@nohaxjustxmod-sfs3984]

@@tjson2842stockfish 14 says this tactic is the best move though, i checked?

[@chessthejameswei]

Oh sorry I just realized that David mentioned it right after

[@williamr5618]

as a lower rated ELO I don't understand why 2:27 is a blunder

[@Joanyan]

because of fe after the exchanges

[@TheWorldsLargestOven]

Free knight

[@MinMin-tt8nf]

@@TheWorldsLargestOvenin check tho can’t take ?right? I might wrong

[@gamer_sara2987]

​@@MinMin-tt8nfjust move the king inside then free knight

[@sad_oak]

"You're playing chess and i'm playing checkers" ahh board" 😭

[@stan0033x]

David Howell trying different gimmicks to beat Magnus and fails

[@DutchDread]

I'm impressed that Magnus can do this, I am even more impressed that someone else can do this

[@PotatoKaboom]

such a dumb ad, both of them could easily play blindfolded.

[@AbleSonia]

0:11 "we will definitely our way" Magnus is smirking cuz he knows he aint losing his way

[@AshiqReal1]

This man can do anything ❤

[@danielbalderrama4137]

Kind of reminds me of when we tried to win a chess game blindfolded in school

[@RandomGuy-bx1cd]

At 3:16. I think David missed a forced checkmate, could have brought his queen to d8, before magnus could move his bishop. In response, if magnus takes the queen with rook, the pawn takes the rook and advances to queen. Which traps the king and leads to forced checkmate.

[@unknownedleaf]

“youre playing chess while im playi- wait”

[@valiantwarrior1988]

Its always David and Magnus doing buzzard stuff like these, they should marry at this point

[@TheWorldsLargestOven]

I would've lost track of the pieces like after 5 moves.