Game Of Thrones Or Chess Puzzles?
IM Daniel Rensch has tried live daily puzzle sessions before, racing against the clock to complete chess tactics before the timer expires.
But even Chess.com’s master tactics trainer hasn’t attempted anything like this.
This Sunday evening (May 31), IM Rensch will take the ultimate tactical challenge: a month’s worth of daily puzzles to solve in just half an hour.
The challenge starts Sunday at 5 p.m. PDT (UTC-7), live on the Twitch.tv homepage and Chess.com/TV.
With the clock ticking down on screen, Rensch will click through the last 30 daily puzzles, trying to solve them all in 30 minutes or less — or your pizza is free.
Win or lose, it’s likely IM Rensch will provide an impromptu post-game analysis of what went right or wrong during the monumental attempt.
Fans of both chess and the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones might note that the daily puzzle marathon is scheduled for the same evening as episode eight of the show’s fifth season, “Hardhome.”
via pinterest
You might be torn, but our recommendation is to let chess win and watch the puzzle marathon live. Westeros will still be there when we’re done.
Here are six reasons to watch the daily puzzle marathon instead of Game of Thrones next Sunday.
Let us know on Facebook and in the comments if you're looking forward to the puzzle marathon or Game of Thrones this Sunday night.
1.DVRs exist.
Sure, you can also watch the replay of our chess show on Twitch or YouTube, but you don’t want to miss the drama unfolding live as IM Daniel Rensch plays beat the clock.
Game of Thrones, on the other hand, was scripted months and years ago, if you count the books on which the series is based. And if you are counting the books, you’ve got “many and more” years to wait for the conclusion. Best to let your DVR handle this one.
2. The clock is ticking.
Speaking of waiting, there’s a set time limit for the puzzle marathon. Sure, the actual event might run over 30 minutes when you add IM Rensch’s post-game analysis, but you can rest assured that he will win or lose in the half-hour allotted by the clock.
Meanwhile, the plot on Game of Thrones ambles along at its own pace, with the White Walkers still in the north, the dragons still in the east, and many impatient fans asking week after week:
“When are they going to get to the fireworks factory?”
via http://simpsonsgifs.tumblr.com
3. Chess action is better than violence.
While Game of Thrones is beloved for its artistic merits, some viewers are frightened by the show’s gruesome violence.
No need to lose your head. The family-friendly puzzle marathon will have spectacular chess action with none of the TV show’s ever-present violence — or nudity.
No one is likely to die during the puzzle marathon, unlike in Game of Thrones — unless IM Rensch forgets his trademark multi-gallon jugs of water for vital hydration.
4. Thirty kings are better than five.
“The war of five kings” is over on the show, and its aftereffects are changing lives for both lords and peasants — and usually not for the better. But that was just five kings.
The daily puzzle marathon will have, at minimum, 30 kings — 60 if you count both White and Black. By that math, you can say the puzzle marathon will be 12 times as exciting as the defining event of the TV series.
5. Chess is the original “House of Black and White.”
The fan-favorite Game of Thrones character Arya Stark spends this season training in the creepy House of Black and White, a church of last resort for sick and suffering Braavosi.
While Arya struggles between the deep symbolism represented by the house’s two colors, the struggle between Black and White on the chessboard will be real this Sunday in the daily puzzle marathon.
6. There will be plenty of strategy.
Many fans of the show love to watch the contenders for the iron throne scheme and plot their way in and out of trouble, outpointing one another not just in military tactics, but in long-game strategy.
Chess fans are similarly in luck. While the early-week puzzles might be straightforward, the late-week positions faced by IM Rensch in the marathon will be nuanced and complex, blurring the line between tactics and strategy.
Are you planning to watch the daily puzzle marathon this Sunday instead of Game of Thrones? Let us know in the comments.
