Spotlight Battles The Checkered Squares | Chess Vs Celebrities
Chess is a famous board game, with billions of people from the past, present and into the future playing this captivating game. The game of chess is so famous that many people, yes even celebrities will give it a shot. And Celebrities giving chess "a shot" is what we will be studying today. Let's begin!
Now to watch Celebrities play chess we needn't go further then Pogchamps, but today we are going to be looking at Celebrities game's outside of this event. The list will include many famous people you have probably heard of, and their experiences with the game of chess. Enjoy!
Excellence at Chess is one mark of a scheming mind. - Sir Authur Conan Doyle
Contents
Garry Kasparov vs David Letterman.
Napoleon Bonaparte vs The Turk.
Albert Einstein vs Julius Oppenheimer
Mrbeast vs Anonymous
Mrbeast (James "Jimmy" Stephen Donaldson) is philanthropist, personality and YouTuber from the United States. He was born on May 7, 1998, and founded his hyper popular YouTube channel Mrbeast In 2012. He is co-founder of Team Trees and Team Seas, and founder of Mrbeast Burger. On July 28, 2022, Donaldson passed 100 million subscribers on his main YouTube channel, making him the fifth channel and the second individual YouTuber ever to achieve the milestone. He continues posting videos, and recently passed 200 million subscribers...
Mrbeast in the form of @mrbeastreal joined chess.com back in 2020. He was one of the contestants fighting for the crown in PogChamps 3. He trained with GM Hikaru Nakamura to prepare for his matches against other star content creators, streamers, and celebrities. He made a return to the event in PogChamps 4, where he still failed to win. In his training we see him playing some uneven material count vs Hikaru Nakamura, in one of which he somehow managed to lose a game.
The Game
This is a game played by Him back in 2021, as the white pieces. While this may not be His best game, I think this is a good representation of Jimmy's playing style/skills.
Notice how he blunders M1 which the opponent thankfully missed. That is an insight into low Elo chess, but other than that it was an interesting game. Sorry, this isn't vs another Celebrity, but that is what PogChamps4 will provide, and it will have all the games versus other famous people such as Fundy, NickEh30, and Ludwig. Mrbeast has since quit chess on the site due to the fact He is constantly making videos so has no time for things like chess. But you never know folks, he may be back...
Garry Kasparov vs David Letterman
David Letterman, born on April 12, 1947, is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. His lengthy career spans over three decades, during which he hosted late-night television talk shows. It all began with the debut of “Late Night with David Letterman” on NBC on February 1, 1982. His unique style made him a beloved figure in the late-night show community. Letterman’s tenure continued with the “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS, where he hosted a staggering 6,080 episodes surpassing his mentor Johnny Carson as the longest serving late-night talk show host in American history.
The Game
In 1989, David Letterman played in a match with none other than Garry Kasparov. This match was battled over the airwaves during Letterman’s late-night talk show. The format was in a sort of daily chess fashion: a month-long telephone chess match that spanned continents and time zones. Kasparov, the world-renowned chess grandmaster, made his first appearance on Late Night with David Letterman on February 23, 1989. The match officially commenced on October 20 when Kasparov made a second appearance, with Letterman playing as Black and Kasparov as White. The moves were relayed via phone calls.
Fairly good game by both players there, with Kasparov pulling off with the win after that beautiful checkmating pattern!
Here is another video with an analysis of the game.
Bill Gates vs Magnus Carlsen
Bill Gates, born William Henry Gates III on October 28, 1955, is an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and writer. Gates played a pivotal role in the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, he and Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1975. Gates led the company as its chairman and CEO until stepping down from the CEO role in January 2000. He remained chairman of the board of directors and became the chief software architect. In March 2020, Gates left his board positions at Microsoft to concentrate on philanthropic efforts related to climate change, global health and development, and education.
The Game
Magnus Carlsen was to meet Bill Gates as a guest in the talk show Skavlan. The show was recorded on a Thursday in 2012 and part of it was a game of chess, which lasted only 9 moves. For this game, played in a studio in London, Magnus was given 30 seconds on the clock against 2 minutes for Bill.
Bill stated, "I'd usually last longer I think". I myself would be nervous if I was playing Magnus so it's no surprise he played a bit below his "average".
This is the game live:
Napoleon Bonaparte vs The Turk
"The Turk", constructed in 1770 by Wolfgang von Kempelen, it appeared to be a chess-playing robot capable of challenging human opponents. The Turk was a life-sized model with a human head and torso, dressed in Ottoman robes and a turban—the traditional attire of a Turkish man.
During demonstrations across Europe and the Americas, the Turk played chess against various Celebrities, including men such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Benjamin Franklin. The machine seemed to possess remarkable skill, winning most of its games. But here's the twist: The Turk was a well-hidden hoax! Hidden within the automaton was a skilled human chess master who operated the machine. The operator made the Turk's movements, making it appear as though the machine played autonomously. For nearly 84 years, the so called "robot" fooled audiences.
But, in 1854, disaster struck. A fire burned through the museum where the Turk was stored, destroying the machine. It was only after this tragic event that the truth was told: the Turk was not an automated chess genius but a man hiding inside the machine.
The Game
Napoleon apparently to great interest in 'The Turk' and played against the Automation multiple times during his life. He is also said to have cheated against 'The Turk' on three occasions. On the first occasion, 'The Turk' moved the piece that committed the illegal move back to its initial square. On the second occasion, the Turk once again moved the piece back before making his own move instead. On the third and final occasion, "The Turk" would sweep the pieces with his arm knocking over all of them to indicate that the game was over. Anyone back in the 1800s should have by now realised the "computer" is a human, simply because of the fact the first chess engine, IBM 704 was made in the 1950s, and a chess engine without a computer is practically impossible to make.
Albert Einstein vs Julius Oppenheimer
Albert Einstein, born 14 March 1879, was a German-born theoretical physicist who stands as one of the greatest and most influential scientists of all time. One of his most famous conceptions, is the Theory of Relativity, which changed our understanding of space, time, and gravity. His special theory of relativity introduced the famous equation E = mc², demonstrating the equivalence of mass and energy. He is also known for working with fellow scientist John Oppenheimer on the first atomic bomb. Einstein also had an incredibly high IQ, as he will demonstrate in a chess game, which I will soon show you...
Julius Oppenheimer, born on April 22, 1904, His pivotal role in the development of atomic weapons during World War II earned him the title of the “father of the atomic bomb”. He also worked closely with Albert Einstein and formed a good friendship with him. He also made contributions to the theory of neutron stars and black holes, quantum field theory, and the interactions of cosmic rays. Oppenheimer was diagnosed with throat cancer, probably due to the radiation he had worked with during his life, in late 1965. After unsuccessful surgery, he underwent again unsuccessful radiation treatment and chemotherapy late in 1966. On February 18, 1967, he died in his sleep at his home in Princeton, aged 62 years.
The Game
Einstein was apparently not a chess player. He said this when writing a forward in Emanuel Lasker's biography, "I am no chess player myself, so I am not in a position to admire [Lasker’s] mental powers in the sphere of his greatest intellectual achievements; indeed, I have to confess that I have always disliked the fierce competitive spirit embodied in that highly intellectual game". The game was first published in Freude am Schach (The Pleasure of Chess) by Gerhard Henschel in 1959. The game was most likely played in 1933 at Princeton University in New Jersey. Einstein won with Oppenheimer's resignation on move 24.
Thanks for reading this blog! I sincerely hope you enjoyed it! I spent a lot of time on this one, purely with the hope you enjoyed reading. This is also my first post where I'm trying my best to have Top Blogger quality, and I hope I achieved! Anyway, I will see you all next time! Also, I recommend checking out the blogs I will link below!
How To REALLY Improve At Chess!
Some Interesting And Fun Puzzles!
Regards, GMA 😊
