International Master Reacts to - 'GoalGuys: I tried to Master Chess in 30 Days'

[@yyguuyg]

"I try to master chess in 30 days." Day 10: "So, I just learned what en passant is..." Oof.

[@gxtmfa]

That doesn’t bode well.

[@irjake]

At least he's ready for r/AnarchyChess

[@abhinavjain2985]

This guy imo is 10 times more reasonable than the Magnus challenger

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

To be fair I remember reading the Magnus challenger understanding he had no chance, and it was mainly the media who made promises for him. He got a bad rap!

[@abhinavjain2985]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy u mean bad rep😁. Lol he was even saying that Magnus was nervous. He took soo much time to play his moves and continued even after being multiple pieces down simply to claim he held Magnus till 22 minutes 🤦‍♂️. WOW

[@xerograv6375]

@@abhinavjain2985 bad rap is also socially recognized as an alternative for bad rep

[@Mike-vn3lt]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy He believed he had Magnus "worried" for the first 15 moves, and didnt even fully understand how pointless his "algorithm building" was in regards to trying to engineer his PC into a chess computer to discover some unplayed line that Magnus would have no answer for. That guy was completely out of touch with reality.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

@@Mike-vn3lt Well the guy is not a chess player so I wouldn't expect him to understand chess things! But "out of touch with reality" is a bit too far

[@ricky2319]

5:05 "He forgot that queen to h5 check is pretty good for white" Yeah, that's checkmate.

[@ChessDiagnostic]

*delivers checkmate* "pretty good!"

[@smrtfasizmu6161]

That was a Ben Finegold moment. That's something Ben Finegold would say.

[@pixlark4287]

I love seeing a reaction video that's way longer than the source material - it means there's actual contributions being made. And that's definitely the case here, great video!

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Thanks!

[@Bergarita]

I love chess. Have all my life. But it is a hard game and can humble you really easily.

[@DarinBrownSJDCMath]

Saying, "I'm going to try to master chess in 30 days" is like saying, "I'm going to try to get a ph.d. in math in 30 days".

[@MrSupernova111]

Its so stupid. I don't know why these clowns get any attention whatsoever. There was a time when people had a lot more self respect than to entertain losers with nothing better to do than to waste other people's time.

[@iansummers6749]

@@MrSupernova111 Jesus Christ, relax. This guy actually made a real video about setting out reasonable goals and strategies as a learner.

[@MrSupernova111]

@@iansummers6749 . Reasonable? Use your reading skills to figure out what the title of the video says. Now run along.

[@iansummers6749]

@@MrSupernova111 Oh you wanna be an overly literal dullard and pretend that a sensationalist video title designed to get some clicks undermines an entire video of someone having a reasonable and productive exploration of a chess hobby. Are you new to KZbin, or are you being intentionally dense about how titles work in order to continue to pretend to have something to be outraged about? Grow up you pretentious turd, lol.

[@MrSupernova111]

@@iansummers6749 . Its not overly literal when the author set out to do the exact thing on the title. Use your the grey matter between your ears for once.

[@PhilomathBret]

Pro tip for teachers: if somebody starts the game by developing their pieces to control the center then puts their knight in the center too early and later blunders their queen, a lesson on how you should control the center is not what they need.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Good point lol

[@CSRookie]

controlling the center and learning how to develop your pieces is something someone should learn at the beginning. If you know how to control the center, you won't move pieces twice in the opening without just cause.

[@MrSupernova111]

@@CSRookie. The point is that you need to know piece value before you start learning strategy.

[@CSRookie]

@@MrSupernova111 .... Knowing piece value and that you shouldn't hang pieces for pawns generally or for no reason at all is something you learn at the earliest stage. Once the student knows how to play then learning about the center and development, and tactics should definitely come second.

[@dshocc1376]

"I love how you can spend 3 or 4 minutes, silent, weighing moves". It goes a lot deeper than that my dude I promise

[@CSRookie]

It's good to know that there are many nerds out there exactly like me who pause videos like this literally every 3 seconds in order to evaluate every position, and to see every nuance on the screen..... oh and to write down what chess books he's reading.

[@31redorange08]

3:05 First of all, he should learn the starting position. 😉

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

hah, missed that

[@poopoopants9481]

lol just realized that nice eye

[@Julien-nv3ly]

What’s the problem ?

[@georgeh9690]

@@Julien-nv3ly King side white bishop and knight are placed wrong :))

[@abhinavjain2985]

😂😂😂😂

[@rubenmatias6126]

Could be wrong but I had heard that the en passant rule was implemented after the rules of chess were changed to allow pawns to move more than one square on their first move. Originally pawns could only move one square even if it was their first.

[@MrArtless1]

right but that doesn't actually explain WHY they felt that was important to fix. His explanation makes sense.

[@davidp.7620]

I think openings get more focus than they deserved for this challenge. If you only have 30 days to learn chess I'd focus on not blundering every single piece. Even after 30 days, he still played the opening pretty poorly, because you can't really learn openings without understanding fundamental strategy concepts

[@kub2039]

He definitely put too much focus on openings and not enough on middlegame tactics, but he actually played the opening pretty well in that final game

[@MartinPineda98765abcd]

I think the 10,000 hour practice concept toward mastering anything also applies to chess - and that means almost 3.5 years of playing 8 hours a day every day. "Mastering" of course means being able to play competitive chess well; becoming the best in chess takes more than practice.

[@MjrLeegInfidel]

Great and insightful comments for new players!

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Thanks!

[@jeffreyphillips8390]

anyone notice his board is set up wrong at 3:05

[@TheOddOne2]

'Become slightly better at chess, always playing white, in 30 days'

[@MrSupernova111]

True! haha

[@amayesbenmeziane]

I would love more reaction videos !

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Sure! Any suggestions?

[@DragonBank]

Kostya's recommended KZbin videos at the end looks so much like mine that I got confused when he was somehow still speaking. Ole Chessbrah to 3000 blitz speedrun and Maurice Ashley stomping dudes in NYC.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Funny!

[@davidfranklin5426]

Kostya, when he says Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess was the only book he “lent his name to,” I think it’s accurate in that Fischer licensed his name for the book. He was approached multiple times to do the same again, but never agreed to it. My 60 Memorable Games, as you pointed out, was actually written by Fischer (with a lot of input from Larry Evans).

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I guess I just see it backwards, to me 'My 60 Memorable Games' is the only book he ever wrote

[@davidfranklin5426]

IM Kostya Kavutskiy I agree. I think the video was (confusingly) using “lent his name to” to mean something different from “wrote.”

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

@@briankaren604 Oh this one I didn't know about. Do you have it? Is it any good?

[@briankaren604]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy It is good. I am surprised it is not better known. You can find that book and much of bobbys other annotations in a $10 kindle book. www.amazon.com/Collected-Annotations-Articles-Bobby-Fischer-ebook/dp/B01F2R7CIS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=collected+annotations+and+articles+fischer&qid=1576687790&s=books&sr=1-1

[@aussierule]

19:46 I know there are hundreds of possibilities but do you by a hopeful chance know what kind of pieces they're playing with? I really like the definition of the bishops and the rooks. I have a very similar club board with a 3.75" King but my bishops look very awkward compared to these pieces which I really really like.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

No idea, looks like a typical tournament set you could get off of House of Staunton though

[@aussierule]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy Indeed. They're all pretty much the same but I'm weird with only my bishops and queens. Not sure why but these pieces just do it for me. The pawns seem slightly shorter as well. You can gain at least 100 rating points playing with pieces you like 😝

[@joeldick6871]

IMO, his biggest problem is that he's playing too quickly, without thinking. You can see every time his opponent makes a move, his hand immediately goes for the piece he wants to move, and then he starts thinking. He should try sitting on his hands.

[@abhinavjain2985]

19:42 It might be not so obvious to you but he obviously doesn't know when to move a4 to create a square for a knight, he probably doesn't even know how to.improve his knight to an outpost, for him development is just taking them out defending each other and moving towards the king

[@dcoates14]

I would have spent the time learning some simple opening setups for white and black and having a general strategy in mind.

[@Paulieinspiration]

I've been at it for 4 months and before that, I haven't played in like over 25 years. For me, it's about improving and having fun.

[@ZachBelcher94]

@ 5:08 are you trolling? Qh5 is checkmate!

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Yes that was a joke :)

[@nukmanub3426]

Kotsya : 25:28 Me : I ThOuGht 30 DaYs iS EnoUGh tO BeAT MaGNuS

[@benh9350]

just my thought about en passant, I think the move is based on fairness, like not being able to castle out of a check. If your opponent has made the effort to get to the other side of the board etc. in all fairness you shouldn't be able to doge out in an undignified way at the last moment. I think that these rules are based on a concept of fair play. I may be wrong, but that is my impression.

[@leo-um6yt]

doge

[@fortressforchess9090]

I always thought en passant was a remnant left over from before the rules were changed so that you could move a pawn two squares instead of only one to speed up the pace of the game.

[@fortressforchess9090]

But then if that was and exact transition; if en passant were ever declined then the opponent could capture sideways on the next move. Hmm.

[@raynoren9185]

Hi Kostya ; Just a word or tow on the "en passant" rule . This rule come after the reform of chess. Before the reform pawns can always move one square at a time and even the Queen one move at a time like the actual King and if I'm correct even all the pieces was moving slow. So come the reform of chess not sure when 1400 or 1500 in order to speed up the game ! So the Queen get her full power and so the rules for the pawns have change a little. Always in the idea to speed up the game the pawn get the ability to jump 2 squares for is first move, but have the way to "escape" in bad position by jumping 2 squares . So the idea behind the "en passant" rule is when your pawn jump tow square ahead and pass on a square control by an adjacent pawn (see that like when you want to castle and your king need pass over a controlled square so you can't castle. you see) next move your opponent have the right to take the pawn or leave it there. The main difference between the castle and the pawn is you can't put your King in check so this is why you can't castle, but you can play the pawn ! Hope that help .

[@overratedprogrammer]

I feel like if someone who does this challenge did it efficiently they'd be much better. Literally the basic lichess lessons teach you what en passant is lmao. Basic reddit search will tell you what to focus on/good beginner books. I'd be interested in seeing how much someone improves learning exclusively from The Game of Chess by Tarrasch

[@MrArtless1]

Good content. Keep doing reaction videos. They don't all have to be "noob plays actual chess player"

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Haha thanks, any suggestions?

[@MrArtless1]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy Cool scenes from chess movies, documentaries, etc. Or just chess related scenes in normal movies.

[@scumbagwoody1444]

really enjoyed this and the try guys vid I'm new to chess but excited to learn subbed, hopefully you have some tip vids for noobs on the way

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Thanks! Nowadays I'm mainly making chess improvement videos for ChessDojo - kzbin.info

[@RealityCheck1]

His death spiral started in the middlegame. He was better off picking a simple opening & using it against lower rated players to see the variations that come off of it leading to the middlegame, then practice simple endgame strategies. Also, it would have been better if a GM worked with him to organize his training schedule. Seems like he was going through a bunch of tactics & not playing real humans. Bots react very different from real people.

[@asambi69]

I'm gonna try to become a chess master in 30 days...after 10 years of practicing lol.

[@intrametaarchi1015]

He just needed a good coach who could train him all those 30 days.

[@jonathanryals9934]

Think of chess like tic tac toe. The center is the most important to occupy.

[@lenaweingraber4211]

@Dean Kaplan Chess is also a draw :)

[@stzu07rel]

@Dean Kaplan tic tac toe is a theoretically drawn game, regardless of the first move

[@hukes]

8:19 But that's not "My 60 memorable games", it's "BF teaches chess".

[@alikwilson7447]

Yo bro how can I get in contact with you

[@lukeanthony2992]

Hi l wonder could you react to Derren Brown playing 9 chess players, most master level players, he's an English magician/illusionist..its on yuoutube..' Derren Brown chess ' will bring it up ...must be engine?..mirroring surely shouldn't work

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I thought he was just copying the moves from one board to another :)

[@badshahh61]

Why does every grandmaster has spectacles

[@biblybims9868]

How can you master a game,when there are 318,000,000,000 different positions within the first 4 moves😂👏

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Haha oops!

[@The_Jovian]

318,000,000,000 different positions but not 318,000,000,000 different GOOD positions

[@sophylacticthinking5807]

which camera do you use for recording these kinds of videos?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I believe it's the Logitech C922

[@acousticboy9029]

Maybe he should have hired you as a coach lol

[@Socrates...]

I don't believe in chess style, it's artificial. A player should be able to play any type of game to a certain extent and the imposition of a 'style' on a beginner is sloppy logic.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Totally agreed. Players use 'style' as a way of avoiding the study of that which they are weakest at

[@cpgautam172]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy oh no, my secret is out!

[@nicomarker3372]

Slightly off-topic: do you think it is normal that a player like his opponent who has already been playing in tournaments for 2 years still has a rating of only 1500? I am playing chess myself for a bit over one year now, I have not played in any tournament yet and my rating is at around 1850. I am slightly younger than this guy, so it might be a bit easier, but I don't think I have any special kind of talent or whatever for chess...

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Online ratings can be quite different to tournament ratings. For someone playing two years, I'd say 1500 is fairly normal

[@nicomarker3372]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy ok, I didn't know that, thank you for your quick answer 😊

[@amayesbenmeziane]

Online ratings are very inflated.

[@onnoquinten2944]

beginners biggest fault is grasping on to one of the first principles they learn about. Like who the f cares, e4 or d4. Just don't blunder your pieces, learn basic checkmates, learn how to deal with pins. But that's too ' normal ' for some of them so they require a lot of failure to start working on the basics properly

[@benjaminragnarsson1582]

What is your chess score or rate?

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I'm about 2400 FIDE

[@benjaminragnarsson1582]

IM Kostya Kavutskiy wow thats pretty good im at 1120 now i just play on the chess app

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

@@benjaminragnarsson1582 nice man, chess.com?

[@benjaminragnarsson1582]

IM Kostya Kavutskiy yes chess.com i can play a game if you want

[@god2020]

@@benjaminragnarsson1582 you talk like you're doing him a favour

[@Spawny500]

Uhhh. U should know not to trade ur queen for a rook after 30 days playing.

[@remcopoppe4870]

analyzing andy

[@gorelowadim]

si in 30 days he is like 1000

[@mislavivkovic9996]

I am playing whole my life I can't get 1800

[@Diffusion8]

Ye have the same glasses🤓

[@ninjaamara8053]

Bobby Fischer teachees chess book is completely misleading book for beginners. He must pick logical chess move by move instead.

[@freakfreaky7929]

23:38 Rc5! followed by Rh5! mate. lol I can tell both players are naffy.

[@wiperiser1]

I think it's really obnoxious to suggest that one can master chess in this short amount of time. All he will do in 30 days is going from a terrible player to a slightly less terrible player....

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I agree, but I think he made it clear that he didn't think he had any real chance to do so. The real goal was to just get as good as possible in 30 days which is much more reasonable

[@MrSupernova111]

I don't know why these hyper learning clowns get so much attention. They might as well set a goal to become an astronaut in 30 days. The only insight here is that the general public has a very poor idea of the amount of work it takes to master anything and are easy prey for scams. If someone came out and said they want to try out for a professional sport's team like American football or soccer they would be laughed out of the room. But of course, these clowns choose something that is relatively not understood well like chess. Also, his opponent is a 1500 player - NOT a master level player.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I think they had good intentions though -- it's hard for non-chess players to have a grasp of how much work it is

[@MrSupernova111]

@@IMKostyaKavutskiy . That's true! Cheers!

[@curtisw0234]

chess engines don't play weird moves these days, i guarantee you these engines have a better positional understanding than even the best chess players these days

[@onnoquinten2944]

and what's with the suspenseful music when it's - 10 already.... there is no suspense

[@StopFear]

That “try” guy’s channel is a waste of time.

[@michael2244]

Paul Morphy could master chess in 30 days.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

How so? He took years to get good at the game

[@JohnDoe-zh6cp]

Not even

[@zacharycat603]

Master Chess in 30 Days. It might be possible for a young player of unusual ability. This guy though is much too old.

[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

I don't think it's possible for anyone in 30 days. At least a year or 2 for someone with incredible talent

[@JohnDoe-zh6cp]

It’s not possible for anyone. Look at the rating history of any prodigy; they climb quickly but it at least a year or two of tournament play for them to get to master level. I’m not aware of anyone who has become a grandmaster in less than 5 years.