Magnus Carlsen Invented A New Chess Opening

[@todesque]

I’ve always liked and admired Magnus, but never truly loved his playing style. Until this past year. Now he’s become an otherworldly magician. It’s like his old self has died since abdicating the crown, and he’s been reborn. Magnus the Grey is now Magnus the White. (Gandalf reference.)

[@epicchess2021]

As a huge LOTR fan this is the best comment I’ve seen all day I gotta pin this one

[@thalanoth]

Thanks, as if all of us nerds wouldn't get that reference...

[@skkkr5815]

that's exactly why he stopped playing classical. there's not as much room for creativity at the top level of chess. granted, there are many super grandmasters with unique playing styles, but none of them are going to be able to reach #1 unless they play extremely solid and precise like magnus in classical games. rapid allows players to make more mistakes, giving us beautiful games like this.

[@DieFlabbergast]

Aha! So you are a White Supremacist! :)

[@henrikjohannesson3098]

❤ only nerds around here in abundance

[@DonTrump-sv1si]

After years of analyzation, Ive come to the conclusion that Magnus Carlsen is good at chess.

[@why_n]

Hes alright

[@stephenmccormick6584]

Nah, he’ll never make it

[@raysharp1204]

The word is analysis

[@peterritchie2990]

He ain’t human.

[@Mtthew4062]

What if it turns out he was just lucky every single game

[@ronaldbell7429]

"And the players agreed to a draw." I nearly had a heart attack. Well done.

[@epicchess2021]

Haha sorry about that one!

[@AURON2401]

@@epicchess2021 Chadnus does not draw.

[@Ro-12-21]

Literally why I subbed. Brilliant lol

[@ezekielbrockmann114]

​@@epicchess2021 I first thought, "ARGH! These blitz games all end the same way: INCONCLUSIVELY!" But no. You got me, mate! Good one.

[@gabrielsanchez5553]

I screamed inside my head the loudest WTF!! I have ever thought of.

[@willmcclard206]

When I played chess for the first time, this was my opening move. You could say I was a chess prodigy

[@epicchess2021]

haha if only you'd have carried on!

[@Pian588]

I've been playing this opening since I was 8, I'm 30 now.

[@Alekhine01]

I just said the same comment. My variation involved sacrificing the exchange sometime before sacrficing the game (it is disrespectful to beat your dad-that’s my excuse)! I was three or four!

[@pappyfiddle]

Playing with my friends around age 8, we often worked on busting the rooks out first

[@Lazarus-nw1ve]

@@pappyfiddlethe difficulty are the squared lines the rooks play way early in an opening. Slices and diagonals cut thru those squared lines at the early game. I still like the corner-pawn-games however. Look real close and play them close and the knight/Bishop/pawns trio make a fantastic formidable foe. Yep, love the Corner Pawn Game. Always have!

[@blaze1148]

...I nearly had a heart attack when you said _they agreed a draw_ 😆

[@simplicity_007]

Same here!! I literally felt felt my heart sinking out of my chest area.... 😂😂😂

[@aoustenaloysious8324]

Same here mate

[@igorfujs7349]

Me too.

[@bradnail99]

Yeah, that was an epic (!) troll.

[@davkirk8741]

😂

[@Horsa-sr8oz]

Magnus has put a lot of life back into chess.

[@epicchess2021]

Yeah!

[@charleshash4919]

As has Hikaru!

[@MislavIvkovic-sx8vd]

​@@epicchess2021this is his foult bcs if somebody play a5 play a6 or h5 play h6 my trener say

[@KravMagoo]

Oh, the irony of that comment...what with all the pelts he's taken. ☠☠☠

[@grin4803]

​@@KravMagooWhen things get too stale, sometimes losing can light your fire back

[@ns8504]

Wow, Magnus is so good he invented an opening that already has a name.

[@michaelkessler7103]

It's one thing doing something like this in a blitz game. It's another thing entirely doing this to a very strong grandmaster in a tournament for it to be analyzed by computers and KZbinrs, and come out flawlessly.

[@rewindforward2865]

You nailed it @9:49 and I was stunned and shocked for a few seconds. ROFL! Alireza was constantly slapped by Magnus. What a game!

[@glenwilson5616]

Magnus is never late. He arrives precisely when he means to.

[@epicchess2021]

haha love it, my all time favourite films!

[@Fishmorph]

The sickest part of that three-way fork is that you don’t even have to take the queen. It’s kg6 and then M2 *with pawns* after that.

[@epicchess2021]

Yeah I didn't even realise that when analysing was only when I've seen a few people comment! I didn't even bother to look because it's so horrible at the end but yeah that is a great finish no even taking the queen

[@ColinUdoh]

“Agreed to a draw” I damn near jumped into the screen to start throwing hands! You got me good!

[@epicchess2021]

Hahaha

[@JS_Precision]

I understand Magnus critique against modern chess. I think all spectators want chess to be about skill and imagination, not only memorizing databases. Memorization has a place of course, but this kind of chess is more entertaining.

[@Swishers21]

my goodness that final move was insane, took an undefended pawn, forked the rook and queen AND mated u, bro treated him like he never played a game of chess in his life...

[@jordanw1643]

Bro it's not mate - he can go Kg6

[@wilsonobeng6568]

I just screamed WHAT! after he said the players agreed to a draw

[@EV0ACE]

This was amazing to watch.. just unreal. Magnus is still the cutting edge.. he is a certified prodigy and cemented as a legend maybe THE Legend

[@epicchess2021]

Yeah he's so much fun to watch these days messing with openings!!

[@dutchguyfull123]

@epicchess2021 magnus himself said his idea was bishop takes g 6 and if fxg6 then queen takes d4 queen takes d4 and then knight e 6 check winning back the queen

[@Nulrom]

In a computer era Magnus is the one still playing like a human and winning. Or the opposite😅

[@1977TheHammer]

The fork isn't the issue... it's the mate in 2 that ended the game. If black doesn't resign, he is forced into: 1... Kg6 (forced). 2. h5+, Rxh5 (forced). 3. g4xR#.

[@user-vz2lc5kw9c]

Great recap👍! What's interesting to me is that people wonder about Magnus's capabilities when he performs poorly (like Qatar). But he's got nothing to prove with his accomplishments. He now plays for the sport. Plus, he (like so many of the old school players) are up against a new generation bred on powerful chess engines. It seems like he's adapting to the change. Trying new things. Still able to show why his mastery with results like this.

[@KNNY61]

I've said it before... Magnus is BORED with long memorization of boring openings. He'd much rather play these fun openings that immediately imbalance the game, even if he's worse. Yeah, if he has to 'win', he could play the 'best' lines. And often does, in more serious otb tournaments. But this type of entertainment... I have a strong suspicion it won't end anytime soon. I give him kudos for finding a way to stay engaged. I think he won't go down the road Fischer did, but I am pretty sure he came close to blowing off chess for other reasons, and ironically I think chess engines may have given an assist in keeping him doing what he does.

[@supernova743]

When youve trained to beat the masters sometimes a new strategy will completely throw you. Masters dont just play a few strategies. Theyve trained to controll any situation. Playing unorthodox strategies and still maintaining control is the mark of a true master.

[@user-of8gd2ix5i]

+++

[@percybyssheshelly]

This is what I like about Magnus. He will play anything and get away with it.

[@HunterBelkiran]

the rook at 9:05 is like the protagonist in a kung fu movie swatting away the npcs

[@bazeye]

😂

[@JustRightPinedo]

"for a while I thought we were even, but I'm royally forked now and will just resign" -Reza probably.

[@epicchess2021]

Haha

[@therealDeaddogg]

“We have GothamChess at home”

[@watteau6646]

"Look of this trio of miserable pieces...stuck on the back rank." It's this kind of commentary that shows you're a strong player. Stockfish can't tell you how to say that. Thanks as always for the exciting new games and the excellent commentary. And also..."this one, that one goes," ha ha. I like that touch. Keep up the good work!

[@Haveuseenmyjetpack]

Right, stockfish cant. That’s what GPTs do.

[@epicchess2021]

Thanks watteau

[@JasonGabler]

I paused and spent 5 minutes staring at the board and gave up... ... pawn G4. Brilliant.

[@Shockprowl]

"And here, the players agreed a draw." -Brilliant!!! :)

[@duran3d]

That is actually the opening that every children who starts learning chess for the first time plays.

[@neurathal0n534]

The fake draw totally got me! Nice one

[@fooltheroyal8691]

This is literally the same opening I've been using every game since middle school.

[@MrMartin627]

We saw this with Bobby Fischer getting bored with studying opening lines and coming up with random chess. Ironically, I think chess engines right now help Magnus to come up with completely new opening lines and ideas that are either 1) not too bad and/or 2) hard to punish for humans. As a viewer, it's great that chess is back to being unpredictable. I hate watching 20 moves of opening theory hoping someone makes a tiny mistake somewhere so that the game doesn't result in a draw.

[@epicchess2021]

Yeah absolutely history repeating in that sense and yeah I love these games it’s so much more fresh and exciting

[@NorThenX047]

If given the chance , people will optimize the fun out of every game. Same goes for chess. I think strategic theory is more important than memorizing openings and creating tactics mid game will always be more fun than following someone else's idea

[@alang253]

I think this is why Magnus is a proponent of chess960/freestyle chess? it is so entertaining to not watch opening prep, dead even mid game and eventually a draw

[@paulmartin2348]

Not going to dispute his place in chess history but I pretty much despise Fischer as a person so refuse to even look at his games.

[@i5hereal]

Thank you so much for not yelling. Gotham chess likes to scream the pieces, and your approach is more suttle.

[@randyk8919]

The roooooook

[@freshtapcoke]

“Here the players agree to a draw” 😂😂😂😂

[@classScribbler]

This Magnus guy inventing new openings is fun.It's always warm to see new players rise. If he reads a bit of opening theory, he will go a long way in chess some day.

[@adinfinitum000]

Nice touch with prophylaxis, προφύλαξις etymology-mention, a word that we Greeks use commonly even today.

[@simplicity_007]

It's a word that is often also used in medicine.... That's where I first heard it, as in, "malaria prophylaxis" (my Dad was a doctor and always happy to explain strange words to me)❤

[@middleofnowhereradio]

Is it just me or does Magnus look like the antagonist kid in "Searching for Bobby Fischer"

[@blue_red_screen]

Isn't it mate in 2 at the end?

[@epicchess2021]

Oh yeah good point, I didn’t even bother analyzing the kill tbh as it is so lost!

[@anotherelvis]

h4 has some alternate names such as Kádas Opening (after Gabor Kádas, a Hungarian player), Anti-Borg Opening, Samurai Opening and Harry's Opening.

[@Williamottelucas]

"And here the players agreed to a draw" Man, you had me going there!

[@epicchess2021]

Haha 😁

[@Censeo]

@@epicchess2021 well played, sir

[@FourKidsNoMoney]

When you said the game was a draw I believed you for a split second and felt very betrayed

[@epicchess2021]

Haha sorry!

[@jasmint6703]

Gotta like these fresh, if dubious, openings Magnus plays in blitz.

[@ronfeenstra3659]

Love this video! And previous ones. Thanks for making/keeping chess fun . Great presentation!

[@epicchess2021]

Glad you enjoyed thanks for watching!

[@dasemifake]

The fact that a GM did not see a mate in 6 with 8 seconds left on the clock makes me gain some confidence in myself after not seeing mate in 2 in a 15 min game lol

[@albertvamosi1835]

It is not the invention of Magnus, it was first used regularly by the hungarian chess master Kádas, and the opening holds his name.

[@epicchess2021]

yeah only playing, you are right, thanks!

[@aphextemper44]

yeah. Magnus fans like to hype him too much

[@paulmartin2348]

@@aphextemper44 Interesting thought. I assume that all chess fans should consult you on the proper amount of hype? (I would rather die than live in your world)

[@asolitudeworld6118]

Magnus:" I came up with a new move that you won't see coming" The inner eight year old me: "Do not recite the deep magic to me. Witch. I was there when it was written"

[@nathanmurphy8211]

I feel like this game was less about 1. h4 and moreso about the fact that alireza gave magnus e4 & d4. This was an instructional game on how difficult it is to play with less space in a blitz game.

[@juanxc7]

Bro, i got mentally violated

[@GAmisterfixit]

Really, you are such a superb chess commentator! Thank you for each and every story!

[@epicchess2021]

Glad you enjoyed thanks a lot for watching!

[@flintliddon]

Hey. Dont forget Magnus’ unbeatable “if-you-win-i-claim-you-cheated” defense. It is literally unbeatable.

[@epicchess2021]

😂

[@TheMoogleKing93]

After employing the plow I have rosen from 560 to 571 rating, mind blowing stuff!

[@epicchess2021]

Haha progress then!

[@mloney9772]

The mid game was great as expected though it seems the opening greatly benefits from the very passive opening by his opponent.

[@bluemystic7501]

His games are so fun to watch unfold.

[@goat401]

9:49 completely caught me there lol good one !

[@epicchess2021]

haha

[@chibisama71]

Happy to see your channel growing!! Awesome videos one after another

[@epicchess2021]

Thanks a lot and glad you enjoyed thanks a lot for watching!

[@lufknuht5960]

προ is a Greek word & regularly used as a prefix on other words. It could be called a bastardization to mix Greek & Latin elements in one word

[@ricksanchez1732]

I thought everyone accepted that the proper reply to 1. h4 was d5 But i guess firouzja still has things to learn

[@agentswipe6662]

That's not a new opening, it's just the kadas

[@perpetualbystander4516]

Thanks for clarifying why Firouzja couldn't capture the bishop at 8:29. 👍Unfortunately Levy failed to explain that in his recap. 🙁

[@epicchess2021]

No problem thanks for watching!

[@Manuel-9-]

He just wants to drive them away from the theory, and when he takes them to uncharted land he has no opponent

[@jamesoshea580]

Hahah you got me with, 'this is where the players agreed to a draw' bit! 😂

[@epicchess2021]

Haha sneaky one sorry 😆

[@jamesoshea580]

@epicchess2021 Haha, it was funny, I nearly woke my daughter shouting, "No way!" at my phone, though.

[@ElCapitanGames]

It’s hilarious to find out Magnus HUGE opening, is the same opening everyone used in checkers in grade school.

[@SatelliteVideosHD]

Great commentary 👌🏽

[@epicchess2021]

Glad you enjoyed thanks a lot for watching!

[@tooktookgullible]

moving the king proactively sounds very similar to shogi castling. Very interesting to see tactical convergence in two very similar games!

[@michaelmassaro4375]

The plow opening did seem to catch Alireza off guard seemed like a chaotic game to a point with those attacking moves by Magnus he had a lot of pieces around that Black King the Fork was killer im kind of surprised Alireza didn’t spot that one coming not sure he could’ve stopped it Thanks for the Game James enjoy rest of your day

[@epicchess2021]

Glad you enjoyed thanks a lot for watching as always, Michael

[@jtslifts8951]

Been doin this for years, it’s called the Zerg rush thank you

[@CatKebab]

I like to eat pizza

[@glitterforcemaximus7232]

Join the club

[@joshzoellner4161]

Magnus is so good he conquered classical chess and decided to play awkwardly just to give himself more of a challenge…against the rest of the world’s greatest chess players! This guy is unreal.

[@dimwitted-fool]

Truly incredible commentary. I’m new to chess and you make this top-level play extremely digestible and entertaining. And I legitimately laughed out loud at the draw fake out. You earned a sub man, nice job

[@epicchess2021]

Thanks a lot appreciate it!

[@Jimmy_Jenkins]

I remember trying out the ol' Plow opening on my wedding night.

[@epicchess2021]

Lol no comment

[@TheCometHunter]

Too much information!

[@thui7889]

It’s just unbelievable they think that deep in that short amount of time. Like they see all the moves in light speed

[@The-Dom]

His strength is his mind, intuition, and grasp of core concepts, where the strengths of the majority of his opponents is how studied they are at the traditional positions. Magnus realized this in the last couple of years from goofing around and seeing his opponents struggle, and now he uses the non-traditional "goofing around" as a strategy to take his opponents out of their comfort zone.

[@plucknpick6414]

I like the corner pawn opening, giving me the opportunity of a corner castle or releasing other pieces if needed. Very versitile.

[@RoaringOrange]

My dad would always start a chess game like that when we used to play about 30 years ago

[@Inorian-gt1or]

You really got me with the “and here the players agree on a draw…. Just kidding!” dude I was a millisecond from clicking away

[@Jock-pl8ey]

He didn't 'invent' it, he played it...

[@epicchess2021]

Yeah a little bit of embellishment there but at least at the elite level he’s changing the game I feel

[@ルクミ-w8m]

You know you're screwed when Magnus surrounds his king with his pieces and nonchalantly marches everything to your face robbing you of any good legal move.

[@smolchungus9213]

I jumped from my seat when you said they drawed LMAOO

[@epicchess2021]

Hahaha yeah sorry, sneaky one that 😁

[@FalconFastest123]

Alireza should have advanced his pawn to F5 halfway through, would have given his king and queen space to maneuver.

[@ZiziKarma]

I love how I got a mini English lesson in the middle of a chess lesson :)

[@epicchess2021]

haha thanks a lot glad you enjoyed!

[@maxsteiner1964]

"And here the players agree on a draw" You bastard 😀

[@epicchess2021]

Hahaha sorry 😆

[@Isomorphist]

The plow / cadence opening is actually just a slight variation on the swedish kroner. In the swedish kroner the rook isnt activated, or pushes the A pawn. this allows the B pawn to be further utilized in the centre isle defence . But still genius by carlton.

[@TruthSurge]

so no one ever opened with moving the king's rook pawn up by 2?

[@epicchess2021]

No they have I was embellishing a bit but also a genuine reference to the fact that at the elite level of chess I’ve never seen anyone else doing this game after game and yet also winning entire tournaments against fellow super Grandmasters, that’s the invented part and unprecedented!

[@TruthSurge]

@@epicchess2021 so, why does he win? Is this a rare move and so these geniuses aren't prepared for it and it gives him a psych advantage? Is it a bad move? I mean, it's not grabbing the center but it is developing a piece and opening a possible lane for the rook. I'm no chess player but I know the rules and a few basic concepts. I think the point is to capture momentum of attack and keep it if possible. Also make the king hard to reach. The trade offer his opponent made... can we assume any trade offer should be avoided because it carries the assumption that the offerer prefers that so just don't give it to them? anyway... thx for the reply!

[@epicchess2021]

Yeah exactly everything you said except the trade part. Whether to trade minor pieces or not depends on a lot of factors in any given position but essentially boils down to ‘does this trade help me or my opponent more?’

[@TruthSurge]

@@epicchess2021 I guess my mind just hasn't been trained properly to think the way I need to to win. I'm not really competitive and cunning. I think my personality plays a huge role in me losing. Seriously. Not to mention any lack of real studying on the game. But I know I don't have the right mindset for it. I just wanted to see this Norwegian fellow you've been raving about. It is funny to see him move a king out on the 2nd move. Like... why would you do that? It seems that's a good way to just love momentum and the center of the board but what do I know?? thx

[@epicchess2021]

@TruthSurge yeah he’s doing some unusual stuff right now which is making him great fun to watch 😁 but then winnings also, that’s the kicker. He’s just head and shoulders better than everyone basically. Thanks for the comments anyway! And cool vocals on your channel, enjoyed a couple of the songs just now, cheers

[@KravMagoo]

I was like..."Wait, whaaaaaaa????" Agreed to a draw.

[@epicchess2021]

😆😆

[@SolomonMagnus819]

At this point Magnus is just doing side quests

[@castlevaniax3605]

All chess openings already exist. You cannot “invent” them. But you can “discover” them!

[@epicchess2021]

Yeah haha, and true just having a bit of fun really!

[@xerpaderp9078]

The funniest part about this opening is that for decades people were saying its the worst move to possibly make.

[@MrPSaun]

I like how the position just transposed into something relatively normal, but with the extra spice of that looming rook. I love to see it.

[@larryvilla6869]

Wait this is how I start all my matches when I play chess but I never played competitively or very regularly at all

[@walther007]

I've been using that starting move for years. Guess I should have done competitions... LOL

[@gianclaudiomoresi2587]

This Opening I saw already in 1989 in many games

[@StefanoPonzi22373]

0:03 Magnus RAY Charles Carlsen 😂🎉😅

[@CAL6double0]

There’s to many times Magnus be missing mates. I’m convinced he just loves playing chess and know he gone win regardless

[@dougplant1655]

At the point Magnus has 2 M6's, and an M8, I'm not sure that you can say "He doesn't find any of them." I mean, from there he wins in 4.

[@TheHighborn]

When I was a kid, I always opened like this, to fuck around with the rook. Now, to be fair, I always was bad at chess, but funny that first pawn thing happened

[@Alskaskan]

Man you got me with the draw xD

[@PhryTheBreather]

The irony is so many beginners un knowingly move a rook pawn forward for opening. I feel like being a chess master is like being a child again…everyone knows a million plays so each player is just trying to find creative/inventive ways to outplay, not necessarily meta

[@pukulu]

Nigel Short faced the "Plough" back in 2015 against Vovk. It was a blitz game with plenty of blunders. White's h-pawn went all the way to h6.

[@dragonkiller5767]

Profilaxis is such a nice word to add into my vocabulary

[@TheARAM5]

You got me when you said they agreed to a draw.

[@route5948]

I can's understand why Firouzja did not seize the center squares in his first move.

[@epicchess2021]

yeah I guess also wanted to play off beat!

[@ALLCAPS]

I know chess is a very special game where every piece on the board matters at any given time.. but at 5:50 when black had 2 Knights on both edges... I mean... any rookie can tell you that this is NOT GOOD.

[@Synistercrayon]

Its been done before. It's just that the little guy never gets the credit for it