Why Ben Finegold is a Grandmaster

[@swift8821]

The entertaining part is how little synergy they actually have. It creates this weird energy that is funny.

[@tomwallen7271]

Sometimes the anti-synergy is the most powerful combo.

[@grantgreenberg2457]

Eric and Ben could not be more different people

[@joshxwho]

It's so weird but great.

[@matttondr9282]

So true lol

[@milankowww]

To the contrary. Both have a very enjoyable sense of humor. The statements "that's what an IM would do" and "of no my bishop" are made of the same stuff that I can't get enough of.

[@radscorpion8]

@@milankowww "oh no my X" is kind of a lame joke tbh

[@FrancoisTremblay]

Confusing the audience

[@rhornjr]

"I thought of that, too, but that seemed like a move an IM would make, so I couldn't do it." Ben is great.

[@darkwingdawg8797]

man's a savage :D

[@AmazonRainforest715]

It’s very hard to make me laugh with comedy movies or stand up shows or whatever. I rarely find something funny, but Ben… oh Ben is something special. He’s different gravy.

[@kartikeyatiwari2502]

@@AmazonRainforest715 exactly the same with me

[@kevinwalden4288]

Omg that line freaking killed me

[@00bean00]

@@darkwingdawg8797 Do you think part of it is he remembers how long he was technically at IM?

[@rhornjr]

This is hilarious because it's like a TV episode with a good cop and a bad cop.

[@scarecrow2313]

That's so accurate :D

[@kml1584]

@@scarecrow2313 0 '

[@jrm6872]

finegold is both and rosen is being interrogated

[@vektor3958]

- It says we played 99.9! - Really? - no

[@Starshine777]

Ben's over there thanking donations, talking shit, cracking wise, and calculating at engine strength all at once. Quad-core brain

[@maloxi1472]

"Quad" ? Nah, we're well past that. This guy's brain is epyc 😄

[@toniokettner4821]

Eideet

[@nicolasreyes2190]

Ben telling Eric to "try to be funnier" is hilarious and also insightful in a way haha

[@ic1099]

Don't be fooled by Eric's deadpan... Ben: He speaks every language: Russian, German, English, I think Italian, et cetera Erik: Yeah, that's pretty much every language. 7:30

[@myhatmygandhi6217]

​@@RobMacMusiche uses that joke a lot, whereas I think most people would miss Eric's joke because he's so deadpan and dry in his delivery.

[@JordanMetroidManiac]

I analyzed the game with the fish. Neither Rxg6+ nor Rxe4 were the best move. Maybe Ben would have played the best move, f5, if Eric said pawn? Eric’s rook idea leads to a dead drawn position whereas Ben’s rook idea is the *only* rook move that holds an advantage. Very fascinating.

[@anonymousAJ]

Look at checks and captures. Not that insane that the only capture would be the best move and Ben would find it

[@jedinxf7]

one is a move a GM would play and one is a move an IM would play lol

[@Idk-bw3ib]

@@jedinxf7 I’ll get ur mom played now gtfo nerd

[@keyboard_toucher]

I wanted f5 and I'm 1400, so Ben probably would have found it

[@kenhaley4]

Wow. I'm liking Ben the more I watch him. I laughed out loud at times. And seeing the rook move analysis at the end shows how deep he can think in the midst of joking around.

[@michaelangelo2192]

Yeah damn he saw that quickly in the midst of things

[@AntActApp]

Ben’s videos are hilarious, but I think some of his fan base gets wrapped up in his perceived cynicism/meanness. Analogous to an anti semite laughing at Borat. This being said Ben has incredibly useful chess knowledge and I love his videos

[@patrickwilliams7496]

I didn't realize how much people slept on him, very funny person

[@xavierpaquin]

The Ben Finegold compilations are gold, just for the humor

[@thanks5832]

@@AntActApp yeah exactly, he's actually a pretty wholesome guy. his edginess is just for jokes.

[@RobFlaxMusic]

9:34 "This position isn't as bad as it is" is the funniest thing I've heard all day

[@Swimming_with_Josh]

To be honest I wasn’t a big fan of Ben from my first impression, but he’s actually super funny and a really good guy! You guys have such good chemistry together for content, really entertaining!

[@Andrew-vy6rr]

I was really put off by him at first, then gave it another shot. Once I kind of understood his humor a bit better, I realized it wasn't him it was me.

[@emrevurgun8328]

i dont hate him but i dont like his humor. its too offensive sometimes

[@NoNamer123456789]

@@emrevurgun8328 Yeah, but he laughs at himself that way too. So it's kinda fair play. The truth hurts.

[@Obi-WanKannabis]

@@emrevurgun8328 lol his humour is "too offensive"? Where do you live? Rainbow land.

[@JunkBondTrader]

yeah the curmudgeon persona is played up quite a bit, but he plays it well haha. I thought he was a total dick at first too.

[@Frank7489]

I think these guys are actually the 2 funniest chess streamers out there, even though they have wildly different senses of humor

[@xekind]

Hikaru is very funny, but he doesn't try to be.

[@ordainmorelikedislikedain7360]

@@xekind 🧢

[@AquaticSkipper]

I don't think I consider Rosen funny? He's more like chill or relaxing to me

[@adrielquiroga7901]

5:57 Eric's reply just shows he's too pure

[@CaptnCondor]

“I wanted a different rook.” “I know.”

[@Glowackos]

"I met a kangaroo in Australia, but it didn't speak any languages.. just kinda hopped around." :D

[@nerf2752]

12 min of Eric taking Finegold's jokes seriously.

[@JCVSTLE]

“Hey my son donated $50! Now I can go to the movies by myself 😃” lmaooooo

[@GaryTheGray]

The two of you were great to watch. And thank you very much for your charity stream.

[@gaurichess]

hi Gary!

[@GaryTheGray]

(jumps up and down and waves at Gauri)

[@ニャーミックス]

Finegold is a character. Truth is brutal, and Ben don’t lie. This is a good combination of personalities.

[@gaurichess]

I laughed out loud at least 5 times! Go Ben!

[@jamesknapp64]

I mean whats the standard though Gauri, for you 5 times seems like a really low bar compared to what you do on stream.

[@cedarmora]

But stay there!

[@gaurichess]

@@jamesknapp64 lol. Also go Eric!

[@rpdigital17]

Have you watched Ben vs GingerGM videos? Epic jokes!

[@haydn1708]

Wow, Ben certainly has very full-on humour. I used to think it was simply obnoxious and rude but watching him interact like this with Eric (whom i assume he has respect for) I now get that hes 99% witty sarcasm. Still not my cup of tea however, too class clown-ish for me

[@mukyumukyun]

Rosen is one of those people that everyone respect, ever heard of Danya shouting "thank you eric rosen" after using rosen trap on a losing position? but it's just funny to see Ben's humor self collide with Eric's calm and chill personality

[@dirk9787]

I stopped watching Ben, because his jokes were too repetitive for me.

[@plebiain]

It's kind of an entertaining dynamic they have going, but I feel like actually interacting with Ben would be exhausting.

[@NowhereMan7]

@@dirk9787 Yeah I respect him and his content but it doesnt take too long before you're hearing the same jokes again and again.

[@DarrylHart]

@@dirk9787 Don't worry Dirk, EVERYONE stopped watching Ben 😂

[@JaoAceu]

7:32 mainly he speaks et cetera .. lmao

[@adamsiu6914]

'I met a kangaroo in Australia, but it didn't speak any language.' Rosen style joke

[@haveachocobar]

Genuinely an amazing display of a content creator, and one so opposite of Eric too! Ben Finegold can be a bit of a character but this character is a genius in chess and entertainment. He sounds offensive but most anything he could truly offend somebody with he tactfully does not say. There is a lot that goes in his mind, and I respect that as hard as someone might work physically, he works mentally. Which is as much as anyone can ask of someone at his age.

[@JohnSmith-jx1ye]

2:26 This made me chuckle. Both games I have played against Matt Larson involved a kingside pawn storm in that exact way against my kings indian.

[@RyanEmmett]

I enjoy watching Eric's videos because he's a funny, agreeable, chill guy without a huge ego, which is why I subscribe. I don't watch many other chess streamers because they are often very different from that. Each to their own I guess.

[@LBurou]

Agreed. I like Eric for the pace of his explanations, the enlightenment of his self talk and his calm demeanor.

[@kentpennington5834]

I agree... Gauri is also very humble and great to watch

[@OmarPreto]

Naroditsky also comes to mind. Very instructive as well as entertaining.

[@thanks5832]

@@OmarPreto he's very neurotic tho, sometimes its stressful to watch him haha

[@zbeqem9507]

fun fact: how we call the pieces in german: rook: "turm"= tower knight: "springer" = jumper queen: "dame" = lady pawn: "bauer" = farmer bishop: "läufer" = runner only king is the same meaning: "könig" by the way, what is pawn meaning? google is not giving a satisfying answer.

[@Geosquare8128]

a pawn is someone that is forced to do your bidding (like a subserviant worker or something)

[@zbeqem9507]

@@Geosquare8128 thx:)

[@zbeqem9507]

@@A51838 wow, thx:) i really love the history of words!

[@scarecrow2313]

In Poland: pawn: "pion" (same meaning) knight: "skoczek" - jumper bishop: "goniec" - runner/messenger rook: "wieża" - tower queen: "hetman" - advisor/commander king: "król" (same meaning)

[@thinboxdictator6720]

"you are worthless peon and you'll always be a worthless peon!" - ted , scrubs

[@coosoorlog]

It's nice how your twitch followers have reached that age when they start asking questions all the time.

[@Sensei-eh3tg]

@Sushant Sapkota childrens?? bruh RIP english

[@chaoticstarfish3401]

@@Sensei-eh3tg What a bully

[@shors5841]

@@chaoticstarfish3401 all he said was rip English he ain’t no bully

[@trimach3148]

@@chaoticstarfish3401 nah he himself cannot speak english because he thinks that someone else is gonna make fun of him so he makes fun of others too just to blend in. mentally ill tbh.

[@Wonkess_Chonkess]

@@trimach3148 I know your not serious (hopefully). But I like starting fights in the comment section. So how do you know that's the case with SPIDER-BULLY??!!

[@randomsleepyness]

I was just watching some of Ben's old lectures, this is a dream come true.

[@JPwr83]

The nonsense and non sensory made a collab that mad sense! I laughed so hard at both of you!

[@GMBethHarmon]

0:20 Ben Finegold: "Come on, try to be funnier." [Hard cut; smile gone]

[@radscorpion8]

ben is a gold mine of humor...and eric NEVER LAUGHS at anything its so weird lol

[@shaanp9796]

Fine*gold*

[@Idk-bw3ib]

They’re personalities are too opposing 😆😆😆

[@torvergogna1910]

the final "make me refresh" literally made me spill my coffee.

[@damelillardfan]

"My mom said I'm special, after she dropped me on the head" -Ben Finegold

[@DarkSideChess]

his mom gotto be pretty strong!

[@Ollinho12]

Ben is hillarious, what a guy.

[@jaymoney522]

"now i can go to the movies by myself" Bens a fkin legend lmao

[@mikhails5483]

"Ok let me refresh... Ok i've refreshed." 😂🤣

[@giorgiodechambre6798]

That was awesome it actually shows how and why Ben Finegold is a grandmaster!!

[@JordanMetroidManiac]

It’s funny that there’s even any question about it 😂

[@giorgiodechambre6798]

I think people look at Eric Rosen, and John Bartholomew and that guy with the mole on his face, as better players then Ben because they have more content, and Ben looks like some Old Fart.

[@memeteam2016]

The mom dropping him joke was so unfunny until he said it happened a week ago.

[@ScottBurlington]

As a Canadian - let me tell you we are all about eating Beaver...

[@patrickcooney1725]

Ben is a GM because he always knows whose turn it is

[@Kirmo13]

The juxtaposition between the two characters makes this hilariously entertaining and super interesting to watch

[@ryno5777]

never thought id see this collab, what a funny duality

[@Zebo12345678]

Ben is a nice guy, and that rook analysis highlighted his wealth of chess knowledge. When he asked you to speak faster while also not listening to your callouts in the early-mid game was a little annoying, but he seems like a great guy.

[@pavetheworldlovely]

"It's never too late to castle." 🤣

[@fannydoucet6750]

I actually read "Why Ben Finegold is a Grand Monster", I came for drama

[@JazzieHERO]

Ben Finegold reminds me of the Violator from the live action Spawn film with his humor and mannerism, but friendlier.

[@GeorgeD_]

This is some Jay and Silent Bob energy lmao

[@christusa2643]

"Put it in H" had me rolling!

[@bernie4366]

Finegold pretends to be a silly grandpa, but if I played him two hours a day every day for the rest of my life, I would never win a game.

[@kalden.s814]

Wow the roast, someone call police😂

[@IAmSplate]

Honestly I really liked this, 10/10 would watch more

[@heronymousbot5883]

Ben is just pooping on Eric and he’s just taking it 😂

[@Idk-bw3ib]

Their energies are so anti-matching, it’s so funny

[@enzobricolo6360]

We French are having "Coq au vin" quite often. So we think about replacing the rooster with a raptor.

[@ANDROIDGameAndroidPlay]

Hello from Ukraine and thanks for support!

[@JohnSmith-ds7oi]

You know he's the one who killed your country right? CIA, NATO, WEF are not your friends.

[@thetuesdayfiles]

Ben is so funny and great at chess, I really recommend his channel

[@jackgallagher4146]

ben's a funny dude. "he thought he was bidding on not receiving a lesson from me"

[@bananbean]

2:48 the way they keep upping eachother its so funny hashsahsaydh

[@SaintD382]

Did Eric say he doesn't know who C-3P0 is? (4:05)

[@lennyuniverse]

the juxtaposition of their personalities and playing styles created the funniest banter

[@Hilltycoon]

5:57 LOL what did Ben say???? 😂😂 He's too funny

[@kevinwalden4288]

Lmao him going in on how his mom called him special and thrust him on his head😂😂😂😂

[@FJesters]

When Eric missed the C3po/r2D2 joke it hurt me too, Ben.

[@DarkSideChess]

i thought jokes were supposed to be funny

[@sameash3153]

@@DarkSideChess who hurt you

[@karllesignton7649]

I want to see Eric play f6 on the first move 🤣🤣🤣

[@cameronbruce5888]

"Yeah that's pretty much every language" lol

[@MrTATT-he5bm]

fun fact: Here in South Africa, we also eat our national animal. The Springbok

[@BruceHoult]

I'm sure there are plenty of others. Several countries have various kinds of deer as national animal. You can't tell me the French don't eat roosters. Bahamas has blue marlin. In the USA they eat bison.

[@MrTATT-he5bm]

@@BruceHoult this is true XD

[@DarkSideChess]

in soviet russia, national animal eats you.

[@arch1q892]

Going to watch when I get back home

[@dsamurai4725]

"NO. It says: Which one of you is a gm?" rofl

[@danscottolson]

Ben Franklin wanted our national bird to be the turkey.

[@Newcenturion100]

Oh man. Abbot and Costello.

[@davep7176]

I love how Ben died inside a little when he realised Eric didn't know what C3P0 is :D

[@jaker721]

I had to pause to see why Ben moved a different rook. Queen E3, wow

[@SeekAndDestroyTM]

The C3PO pun was absolute fire

[@cidd04]

"Let me refresh"

[@ZsebtelepHUN]

I definitely want to see a "hand and brain" team world championship

[@jongler9775]

Eric : "I think Australia is the only country that eats its national animal." Me, a french man : " ... "

[@sallylauper8222]

The thing is, the thing is, I've better things to do. I love this game and some say master the end game and I say hey I already loose in the middle game. Play the opening like a book, the middle like a magician and the end game like a machine. I THINK I'd like to play well in the middle game. THat's my goal.

[@oliveoil5126]

8:33 did ben move the wrong bishop

[@bcsolorza]

This is a dynamic duo

[@jakubkrasniewski]

The thumbnail is a masterpiece ;)

[@Rydhornofficial]

eric with the owen wilson wows

[@taifour2593]

Ben is most funny when he’s not trying to be funny. I prefer the more quiet sarcastic humor he used to have

[@sightninja]

“Mainly he speaks etc” got me tho

[@jageiosjgaeiojg]

I know I'm replying two years later, but I feel like Ben is one of those guys who can't help but try extra hard to be funny when he's not on home turf and around his own people, even though he's much more affable and funny when he's just chatting shit with zero effort. I am exactly the same. As soon as I feel the pressure to be likeable I'm far less likeable.

[@joshuabuena8049]

Oh my god, the worst tandem ever. I LOVE IT!!!!!

[@ecco2366]

Eric are you sure it was a kangeroo?, you couldn't see the difference between a duck and a goose.

[@frogiwthoutahat]

their personalities clashing is so funny

[@DontThinkJustWonder]

Hey Eric, 8:40 - South Africans eat Springbok (not much, but....)

[@RhettReisman]

“Come on try and be funnier” 😂

[@Flightofphenomena]

Man Ben unabashedly shitting on your IM Title is hilarious. You just hit him back.

[@Jason.Gordon]

“That was a year ago” fok lol

[@kaidoChess]

00:19 ben clearly doesn’t understand humor

[@johnsonater8491]

every single move Eric is probably thinking dude stfu already lol

[@humansareweird2866]

4:12 Qa4 seems winning,no?Nd7 as a response can't be good

[@GAMTT]

I thought of the same move and i guess it is just winning :D

[@freshc9240]

Qd7

[@humansareweird2866]

@@freshc9240 Nd6+?

[@simantagoswami49]

"he mainly speaks 'etc'. 🤣

[@micahclawrence]

At 6:30 why not take the hanging knight with the queen?

[@Gush27]

The knight is defended by the rook?

[@micahclawrence]

@@Gush27 then knight on g5

[@micahclawrence]

They move a pawn instead and then black moves the bishop to defend the knight They passed on a free knight unless I don’t see something

[@Gush27]

@@micahclawrence i have literally zero idea what you’re talking about. There is no knight on g5

[@micahclawrence]

@@Gush27 sorry typo. H5

[@seinfan9]

Man, he played C3 and he got PO'd.

[@cwesley2005]

Now I can go to the movies, by myself! Classic!

[@xxFortunadoxx]

Did you get the reference?

[@ecsciguy79]

I used to think Ben Finegold was obnoxious and rude. Now I still think he's obnoxious and rude.

[@NeoXSpirit]

The awnser is fries, GOOOOOOOOOOOOO BEEEEEEEEEEEENNN ! RAAAWWWWWWWRRRRR !

[@davidmil15]

I’m not going to watch the video but I’m gonna guess it’s because he’s pretty good at chess.