Albert Einstein - a chess player

Greetings by @TecDragoman and @JustNotYetGM.

Albert Einstein is widely regarded as one of the greatest physicists of all time, but did you know that he also played chess? In this blog post, we will explore Einstein's chess knowledge and skills, and see some examples of his games and quotes.

Einstein was an amateur chess player who learned the game as a child. He played chess with his neighbors and friends, and always had a chessboard set up at home. He was probably most active in chess in the late 1920s and early 1930s, when he lived in Berlin and Zurich. However, he was not enthusiastic about chess. In the 1940s, he told freelance writer Peter Bucky, “I do not like this kind of struggle."

Einstein was also a friend of former world chess champion (and mathematician) Emanuel Lasker, whom he met in Berlin in 1914. They shared a common interest in philosophy, science, and social issues. Einstein admired Lasker's intellect and character, and wrote a tribute to him after his death in 1941: "He was one of the most interesting people I ever met. He was a man of wide culture, gifted with an astute critical judgment."

Einstein's chess rating is estimated to be around 1500, which is decent for an amateur player. He played mostly casual games with his colleagues and acquaintances, such as Robert Oppenheimer, Niels Bohr, Max Born, and Wolfgang Pauli. He also participated in some informal tournaments and simuls at Princeton University, where he worked from 1933 until his death in 1955.

One of Einstein's most famous games is his victory over Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, in 1933. Einstein played the Ruy Lopez or Spanish Game, one of the most theoretical openings in chess. He sacrificed a pawn for initiative, and then launched a powerful attack on Oppenheimer's king. He finished the game with a beautiful combination that forced mate in three moves.