Chess absurdities depicted in Star Trek

A branch off from the topic of tri-chess in star trek in the variant forums, this isn't about the game itself, but rather how chess in general is added to stra trek in the most ridiculous ways! More of a show critique.

The weird semi-3 dimensional variant aside, I find it absurd that all these star fleet officers all just happen to be chess grandmasters able to calculate 7+ moves ahead, in a bizarre version of the game to boot. Is chess a required skill for everyone to graduate the academy or something? I find it hard to believe that with all the stuff that is depicted to be crammed into those 4 years, with entire courses as specific as "plasma physics" or "subspace geometry" or "antimatter dilithium regulation" that characters claim they have to take entire courses in the show, that there would also be ample time to become chess grandmasters on top of that. I find it hard to believe that Commander Riker or Geordi are playing serious chess games in 10-foward as a pastime, and I definitely don't believe that counselor Troi can beat Data, an android, with a 7-move checkmate trap (that somehow this 24th century robot misses) on a 3d board on top of that? I could see Kirk beating Spock, because just being a logical guy doesn't imply deep skills at any specific boardgames, but the ships psychiatric Counselor defeating a 24th century computer in 3d? Not buying that for a second lol. World chess champions are unable to beat their smartphone in their pocket, in the 21st century, so I mean really??

I think Star trek chess would be better fit in with the Borg or something, that would actually make sense in the show, cybernetic lifeforms developing a 3d version of chess and becoming galactic champions at it..etc, but it's kinda silly how with almost every crew member/bridge officer, you can find an episode where they are a random chess master all of a sudden, even against a computer lol.

its absurd that data lost against troi due to her tactical knowledge in the opening.

Agreed, that's the best example of how absurd it is, a 24th century android couldn't see 7 moves ahead?

Even if she somehow telepathically tapped into his cybernetic mind and that's how she saw the 7 move mate, how did data not see it?

But my main issue isn't that a computer was beaten, its that Troi somehow takes chess seriously enough to be able to calculate 7 moves ahead in 3D??? Not buying it lol

I've never tried to play that tri-chess version. It makes no sense. Real 3d chess is a cubic 8x8x8 board where the king and queen can move in 26 directions. I have a thread trying to explain as much as possible how it would work.

But yes, how crew members all seem to be chess masters in ST I don't understand, let alone in a higher dimensional version of the game.

My understanding was, Roddenberry wanted some kind of three dimensional chess to show how starship crew learn how to fight in the4 three dimensions of space.
This is why all my friends and I play using the W3DCF rules, as they were developed for similar reasons and turn the crazy sci fi board into a genuinely playable chess variant.

Yes, in STII: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Khan's thinking was described as brilliant but displaying the predictably two-dimensional pattern of a 21st century Earth warlord. Spock was able to exploit this at the battle of Mutara Nebula. This limitation in his experience might have ultimately been Khan's hamartia (fatal flaw) even more than were hubris and vindictiveness.